Shaukat Aziz

Shaukat Aziz (picture),born March 6, 1949 in Karachi, Pakistan) is the current Finance Minister and Prime Minister of Pakistan. He became Finance Minister in November 1999 and was nominated for the position of Prime Minister after President General Pervaz Musharraf sacked Zafarullah Khan Jamali on June 6, 2004. He became Prime Minister on August 28, 2004.

Career

Citibank executive

In 1969, he joined Citibank, serving in various countries, including Pakistan, Greece, the United States, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Singapore, and others. He served as Citibank's head of Corporate and Investment Banking for various regions, including the Asia Pacific Region, Central & Eastern Europe, and the Middle East And Africa; as Corporate Planning Officer, Citicorp; as a country Manager for Citibank in Malaysia and in Jordan. He has been a board member of Citibank subsidiaries including Saudi American Bank, Citicorp Islamic Bank, and of several non-profit organizations. He was appointed Executive Vice President of Citibank in 1992, reporting directly to the Chairman/CEO. Before taking leave from Citigroup, he was the head of its global Private Banking division, reporting directly to William Campbell, who was then head of the Global Consumer Group.

Related Topics:
Citibank - Greece - United States - United Kingdom - Malaysia - Singapore

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Finance Minister

In November, 1999, after the military ousted the elected government Mr. Aziz agreed to become the regime's Minister of Finance, with responsibility for Finance, Economic Affairs, Statistics, Planning and Development, and Revenue Divisions. As Minister of finance, Mr. Aziz also heads the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet, the Cabinet Committee on Investment, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council and the Cabinet Committee on Privatization.

Related Topics:
1999 - Minister of Finance - Finance - Economic Affairs - Statistics - Planning and Development - Revenue

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In 2001, Mr Aziz was declared 'Finance Minister of the Year' by Euromoney and Banker's Magazine. His term as Finance Minister has been associated with accelarating growth in the Pakistani economy. Pakistan has recently become the second-fastest growing country among the world's ten most populous nations.

Related Topics:
2001 - Euromoney - Banker's Magazine - Pakistani economy

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Prime Minister

Mr. Aziz was named by the Pakistan Muslim League (Q) as the next Prime Minister after Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali resigned on June 6, 2004.

Related Topics:
Pakistan Muslim League (Q) - Prime Minister - Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali - June 6 - 2004

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The post was held by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain while Mr. Aziz fulfilled the constitutional requirement of securing a seat in the lower house of parliament. Aziz ran from two constituencies, Tharparkar in Sindh, and Attock, a district located west of Islamabad. While campaigning, on July 29, 2004, Aziz survived an assassination attempt in the small town of Fateh Jang in the Attock district. A suicide bomber blew himself up attacking a car in which Aziz was travelling. His chauffeur and eight others were killed. Aziz, who was in the back seat, survived. Over 50 people were injured in the attack, for which al Qaeda later claimed responsibility. Aziz won the election in both districts. Since he could retain only one seat, he immediately vacated his Tharparkar seat, preferring to represent Attock, where he had won by 76,156 votes to 29,497.

Related Topics:
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain - Parliament - Tharparkar - Attock - Islamabad - July 29 - 2004 - Fateh Jang - Al Qaeda

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Shaukat Aziz was elected Prime Minister by Parliament on August 27, 2004, by a vote of 191 to 151 in the National Assembly of Pakistan, and was sworn in on August 28, 2004. He retains his position as Minister of Finance.

Related Topics:
August 27 - 2004 - National Assembly of Pakistan - August 28

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