Pakistan PM Imran Khan replaces finance minister as part of govt shake-up

Hammad Azhar, the minister for industries and production, will replace Abdul Hafeez Shaikh

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan removed his finance minister on Monday as part of a government shake-up aimed at bringing in policies to control “rising inflation”, the information minister said.

The removal — the second of a finance minister in the 2-1/2 years of Khan's tenure — comes amidst the restart of a $6 billion IMF bailout programme that had been suspended for one year over questions about fiscal and revenue reforms. Cash-strapped Pakistan is also preparing to float Eurobonds worth around $2 billion to raise capital from international markets about two months before presenting a budget.

“There has been rising inflation,