Mariam Kayani named adviser to IMF executive director
Pakistan has appointed Mariam Kayani, a BPS-20 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, as adviser to the executive director of the International Monetary Fund in Washington for three years on deputation, the government said on Wednesday. Kayani, currently a joint secretary in the Finance Division, will join the office of the IMF executive director, whose constituency comprises eight member countries, at a time when Islamabad's engagement with the Fund remains an important part of its economic and external financing policy.
The appointment followed a selection process launched earlier this year, after the Finance Ministry recommended three officials for the Washington-based position. In July, the Prime Minister's Office constituted a ministerial committee to interview the nominees and select the government's candidate. Kayani was selected after appearing before the committee, according to officials familiar with the process. The other two candidates were Moazam Raza, joint secretary in the Finance Division dealing with the IMF, and Nadeem Ahsan, joint secretary responsible for matters relating to other foreign lenders.
Kayani replaces Saifullah Dogar, who has completed a three-year tenure as senior adviser to the IMF executive director and is due to return to Pakistan. The Finance Ministry had earlier proposed an extension for Dogar, but according to sources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif turned down the proposal and instead directed that the best officer be selected from among the three officials.
Kayani has 18 years of experience in public administration, policy development, external finance, legislative drafting and district management, including work on sovereign financing arrangements with international institutions, commercial debt portfolios and intergovernmental coordination. She has also worked on policy formulation, programme evaluation, civil service reforms and university governance, and has led teams at the federal and provincial levels. Her international exposure includes the Humphrey Fellowship in the United States, an Australia Awards scholarship at the University of Sydney, and training programmes in public finance, human resource development and governance. She holds FCA and ACCA qualifications as well as a law degree.
In Washington, the adviser's responsibilities include assisting the executive director with financing requests from member countries, Article IV consultation reports, policy papers and other matters placed before the Fund's Executive Board. The posting therefore extends beyond Pakistan-specific issues to the wider business of the IMF and the countries represented by the executive director.
