Miftah Ismail | |
|---|---|
مفتاح اسماعیل | |
.jpg) Ismail in 2014 | |
| Secretary-General of Awaam Pakistan|AP | |
| Assumed office 6 July 2024 | |
| President | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 19 April 2022 – 27 September 2022 | |
| President | Arif Alvi |
| Prime Minister | Shehbaz Sharif |
| Preceded by | Shaukat Tarin |
| Succeeded by | Ishaq Dar |
| In office 27 April 2018 – 31 May 2018 | |
| President | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi |
| Preceded by | Rana Afzal Khan |
| Succeeded by | Shamshad Akhtar (Caretaker) |
| Minister of State for Finance | |
| In office 27 December 2017 – 27 April 2018 | |
| President | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi |
| Preceded by | Rana Afzal Khan |
| Succeeded by | Shamshad Akhtar (Caretaker) |
| Chairman of Board of Investment | |
| In office 4 January 2014 – 28 July 2017 | |
| President | Mamnoon Hussain |
| Prime Minister | Nawaz Sharif Shahid Khaqan Abbasi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1965-07-23)23 July 1965 (age 59) Karachi,Sindh,Pakistan |
| Political party | AP (2024-present)[1] |
| Other political affiliations | PMLN (2011-2023) |
| Alma mater | Duquesne University (B.S) Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D)[2] |
Miftah Ismail (Urdu:مفتاح اسماعیل; born 23 July 1965) is aPakistanipolitical economist who served as theFederal Minister of Finance from April 2022 to September 2022. He had previously served in the same office, from April 2018 to May 2018 inKhaqan Abbasi's cabinet. Prior to that, he served as the Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, chairman of thePakistan Board of Investment and an economist with theInternational Monetary Fund.[3][4] He is the current Secretary of theAwaam Pakistan party, a political party he co-founded alongside former Pakistani prime ministerShahid Khaqan Abbasi.
He was born on 23 July 1965 inKarachi,Sindh. Ismail received his undergraduate degree in business fromDuquesne University in 1985, followed by aPh.D. in public finance and political economy from theWharton School,University of Pennsylvania in 1990. Ismail worked with theInternational Monetary Fund as an economist based inWashington, D.C. in the early 1990s.[2]
In 1993, he returned to Pakistan to work for his family business,Ismail Industries Limited, a confectionary and snack food manufacturer.[5][6]
Ismail joined thePakistan Muslim League (N) in 2011 and served as the head and vice-chairman ofPunjab Board of Investment and Trade from 2012 to 2013.[5]
During the2013 Pakistani general election, Ismail served as a member of the election strategy team and the manifesto committee of Pakistan Muslim League (N).[7] In October 2013, Ismail became a member of theBoard of Directors ofPakistan International Airlines. In November 2013, he joined theBoard of Directors ofSui Southern Gas Company.[6] Both of these positions he retained until 4 January 2014, when he was appointed as the head ofFederal Board of Investment and was added as a junior member of then Prime MinisterSharif's cabinet.[8][6] Under his leadership the Board of Investment underwent massive restructuring including winding up of its regional offices.[9][10] During his tenure at the Board of Investment, the government of Pakistan formulated a new automobile sector policy that has attracted a lot of new investment in the automobile sector.[citation needed]
Ismail has served as adjunct faculty at the Institute of Business Administration and also as chairman of board atKarachi American School.[5]
In December 2017, Miftah was appointed as a finance adviser to then-Prime MinisterShahid Khaqan Abbasi.[2][11] In April 2018, Ismail took oath as Federal Minister for Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs inShahid Khaqan Abbasi's cabinet, where he served until 31 May 2018.[12]
In 2022, Ismail was reappointed to as finance minister but resigned in September of the same year, paving the way for the return of Ishaq Dar Rehan Sheikh.[13]
In June 2023, he was removed by PML(N) as the general secretary of the party, allegedly due to his criticism ofDar's economic policies and dislike by then Chief Organizer of the PML(N),Maryam Nawaz.[14] Later, in the same month, he resigned from all senior positions of the PML(N) and party committees.[15]
