SBP Governor says he does not hold dual nationality

ISLAMABAD, Jan 10 (APP):Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Reza Baqir Monday made it clear that he was a Pakistani national only and that he did not hold dual nationality.

“I was born in Lahore and had got the opportunity to study abroad in the international universities but neither I am national nor a permanent resident of any other country,” he said while responding to an allegation raised by a member of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue Ahsan Iqbal here in the meeting.

The meeting of the committee was held here under the chairmanship of Faiz Ullah.

Ahsan Iqbal suggested inserting a clause in the SBP Bill that the Governor must be a Pakistani citizen and that he must not keep the dual nationality.

Reza Baqir also made it clear that he was not on leave from the IMF post but he resigned from the IMF job before joining SBP as Governor.

He said this was not for the first time that a Governor SBP had worked for the IMF. “There have been many such governors in the past who had served the international financial institutions.”

He dispelled the impression that all the decisions with respect to Pakistan’s economy were made under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pressure.

He said the central bank had launched a number of new initiatives in the national interest and for the provision of job opportunities to the masses.

The IMF had raised objections over many programs initiated by the Pakistan government but they were launched despite the opposition of the IMF.

He also dispelled an impression that one of the country’s institutions was being sold to an international institution.

Meanwhile, Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin briefed the committee about the proposed Supplementary Finance Bill and SBP Bill 2021.

He said the Central Bank was not being given absolute autonomy but it was given a reasonable autonomy.

He informed that the appointments in the SBP would be in the hand of the government only.

Shaukat Tarin said the government was trying to approve both Bills from the Parliament as soon as possible and after that “we would go to the IMF for fresh review by end of the current month”.
He said the government was considering the objection raised by the opposition about the expansion of the employment period of the Governor State Bank of Pakistan.