Pakistan Drops Princeton Economist From Advisory Panel Over His Ahmadi Faith

Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government has asked Princeton University economist Atif Mian to step down from the recently constituted Khan-led Economic Advisory Council (EAC), according to a report in newspaper Dawn. 

The decision was preceded by mounting pressure from religious and fundamentalist political parties and groups, who were against Mian's induction in the Council. Mian is an Ahmadi by faith.

Mian is John H. Laporte, Jr. Class of 1967 Professor of Economics, Public Policy and Finance at Princeton University, and Director of the Julis-Rabinowitz Center for Public Policy and Finance at the Woodrow Wilson School, according to his bio on Princeton University website.

According to a tweet by Senator Javed, Mian has agreed to give up his position on the council. A replacement will be announced later, he added.

Iftikhar Durrani, Special Assistant to PM Khan on Media, however termed the decision as unanimous adding that Mian was feeling "uncomfortable", following the controversy surrounding his nomination, according to the Express Tribune

Pakistan's Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhary also confirmed the development later saying the government had decided to withdraw the nomination of Mian from the EAC because it wants "avoid division".

"The government wants to move forward alongside scholars and all social groups, and it is inappropriate if a single nomination creates an impression to the contrary," he tweeted.

In another tweet, Minister Chaudhry said the ideal state, according to Prime Minister Khan, is of Madina and that the premier and members of his cabinet hold Prophet Muhammad in high esteem.

"Khatm-i-Nabuwwat [belief in the finality of the prophethood] is a part of our faith and the recent success achieved by the government in the matter of blasphemous sketches is reflective of the same connection," he wrote.

Mian's appointment to the 18-member EAC set up to advise the Pakistan government on economic policy was vehemently opposed by individuals and groups, Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), who objected to his Ahmadi faith.

The news of Mian's removal from the Council is surprising since the government had on Tuesday come out strongly in defence of its decision to nominate Mian to the Council saying "it will not bow to extremists"

"Pakistan belongs as much to minorities as it does to the majority," Information Minister Chaudhary had told a press conference in Islamabad, amidst a vicious online campaign targeting Dr Mian for his Ahmadiyya faith.

Chaudhry had taken to Twitter to recall that "Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah appointed Sir Zafar Ullah [also an Ahmadi] as Foreign minister of Pakistan; we'll follow [the] principles of Mr Jinnah, not of extremists."

His thoughts were echoed by Minister of Human Rights Shireen Mazari, who tweeted: "Exactly. Well put indeed. Time to reclaim space for the Quaid's Pakistan!".

The EAC had its first meeting on Thursday, which was presided over by Prime Minster Imran Khan. The meeting was however not attended by three economists of Pakistani origin, including Mian, becase of "technical reasons"

“They could not make it because our web-link was down,” an official said, according to Dawn.

Mian is the only Pakistani to be considered among International Monetary Fund’s ‘top 25 brightest young economists’.