By Recorder Report
Copyright brecorder
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday expressed deep sorrow over the passing away of eminent economist and former federal secretary Dr Waqar Masood Khan, who died in Islamabad after a brief illness at the age of 74.
In a statement issued by the President’s Secretariat Press Wing, the president, currently on an official visit to China, extended condolences to the bereaved family and paid tribute to Dr Khan’s longstanding service to the nation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is presently in London, also conveyed his heartfelt condolences.
According to a press release from the PM Office Media Wing, the premier prayed for the departed soul’s elevation in Jannah and remarked that Dr Waqar Masood’s contributions to Pakistan’s economic governance would always be remembered.
Dr Khan, born in 1950 or 1951, held a distinguished career in public service.
Most recently, he served as advisor to the caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on Finance from August 2023 to March 2024.
He had earlier served as Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Revenue and Finance (2020–2021), in the capacity of Minister of State.
A career civil servant of the Pakistan Administrative Service, Dr Khan retired in BPS-22, having served as the country’s longest-serving Secretary Finance.
His decades-long service included key roles as Secretary of the Finance Division, Economic Affairs Division, Petroleum & Natural Resources, Textile Industry, and as Special Secretary to the Prime Minister. In addition to his civil service, Dr Khan was also active in academia, having taught macroeconomics at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE).
He also served on the boards of several key institutions, including the State Bank of Pakistan, Islamic Development Bank, National Bank of Pakistan, PIA, PTCL, and Pak-Oman Investment Company.
In recent years, he was serving as Chairman of the Board at SadaPay, a private fintech company regulated by the State Bank of Pakistan, under the Electronic Money Institution framework.
His funeral arrangements have not been announced by the family till the filing of this report.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
