Atif R Mian: Federal government asks Pakistani-American Economist to resign from EAC
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*ISLAMABAD - Pakistani-American economist Atif R Mian has stepped down as a member of the Economic Advisory Council.*
The government asked the economist to submit his resignation following the controversy surrounding his faith.
PTI Senator Faisal Javed Khan confirmed the news on social media.
“Atif Mian was asked to step down from the Advisory Council and he has agreed. A replacement will be announced later,” he wrote on Twitter.
Mian’s appointment had been opposed by different political parties such as Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
A PML-N lawmaker had submitted a resolution against Atif’s appointment in the KP Assembly. Hafiz Ehtisham Ahmed, a member of the Lal Masjid’s Shuhada Foundation, had challenged it in the Islamabad High Court.
On Tuesday, the government defended the appointment.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said: “This is the person everyone is saying will be the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in the next five years. Why should we not appoint him?”
Chaudhry said that people should not have any problems with the appointment of any minority, adding that protecting minority communities is the government’s job.