Challenges in Implementing Sustainable Development Policy in Pakistan
Dr. Hafeez Shaikh, Pakistan’s Minister for Finance, Revenue, Economic Affairs & Statistics
Moderators:
Adil Najam, Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, Boston University
Asim Khwaja, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Co-sponsored by SAI, The Center for International Development at Harvard Kennedy School, Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America, and Pakistani Association of Greater Boston
Pakistani challenges are often viewed to be security related; however, quite critical to country’s stability and development are the financial and economic challenges that it faces. Dr Hafeez Shaikh is engaged with the all aspects of Pakistan’s economic management, from allocation of donor flows, fiscal and macroeconomic policy as well as initiating the much needed reforms of the state sector. What is Dr Hafeez Shaikh’s analysis of Pakistan’s financial and economic challenges and what is his vision for a sustainable development policy?
Dr. Shaikh has over 25 years experience in policymaking, private sector and academia. His public sector record includes serving for three years the Federal Minister for Privatization and Investment. His tenure is regarded as the most successful in Pakistan’s history with 34 transactions worth $5 billion completed and annual Foreign Direct Investment increasing from $ 1 billion to $ 5 Billion. He has served as member of the Upper House, where he was member of Chairman of the Senate’s Committee on World Trade Organization. He had a highly successful tenure as Minister for Finance, Planning and Development in Sindh Province. He was the architect of the financial recovery of Sindh, restoring financial discipline, paying over $350 million of overdue bills, clearing the over draft of $185 million with the State Bankof Pakistan and increasing allocation for poverty alleviation. His private sector experience includes serving as a General Partner of a $1.38 Billion international investment company, headquartered in New York. He was the Country Head of the World Bank in Saudi Arabia and led assignments and advised more than 18 countries of Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa as a senior World Bank official. Some of these countries include Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Romania, Czech Republic, Argentina, Bangladesh, Botswana, Tanzania and Ghana. Before joining the World Bank, he worked at Harvard University. Dr. Shaikh has a Ph.D in economics and has authored a book on Privatization in Argentina.