Ex-IMF economist Miftah Ismail has a tight time frame as Pak's FM

Ismail, who briefly held the post four years ago, brings with him a record of decisive policy action and a close relationship with PM Shehbaz Sharif but faces a daunting array of challenges

Pakistan's new prime minister has appointed 57-year-old economist and businessman Miftah Ismail as the finance minister who will be tasked with quickly arresting a downward economic spiral and getting International Monetary Fund (IMF) talks back on track.

Ismail, who briefly held the post four years ago, brings with him a record of decisive policy action and a close relationship with prime minister Shehbaz Sharif but faces a daunting array of challenges. The former IMF economist, with a PhD in Public Finance and Political Economy from the Wharton School of Business, held the job for a few months in 2018 when he