Shaukat Aziz

Shaukat Aziz (Urdu: شوکت عزیز‎; born March 6, 1949 in Karachi, West-Pakistan) is a Pakistani economist and financier who served as the fifteenth Prime Minister of Pakistan from 20 August 2004 to 15 November 2007, and as well as the Finance Minister of Pakistan from 6 November 1999 until 15 November 2007. Educated and graduated from the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi, Aziz joined the corporate staff of the CitiBank Pakistan in 1969 and served in various countries' governments as CitiBank financier, and finally elevated as executive vice-president of Citibank in 1999. After accepting the personal request by General Pervez Musharraf, Aziz returned to Pakistan from the United States to assumed the charge of the Finance Ministry as its Finance minister while taking the control of country's economy. In 2004, Aziz was nominated by the Pakistan Muslim League, a conservative front, for the position of Prime Minister after the resignation of Zafarullah Khan Jamali on June 6, 2004.

Aziz's macroeconomics policies oversaw the political stability and economical progress, subsequently ending the distressing "era of stagflation" in 2001. Intensified privatization and economic liberalization programmes were personally initiated by Aziz, achieving to privatized all state-owned corporations and strengthened the country’s economic base which led the improvement of the country’s growth rate by 6.4% per year, reduction of poverty and inflation rate dropped to 3.5% in last 3 years as against 11-12% in 1990s. For the first time in Pakistan's history, all goals and revenue collection targets were met in his tenure and allocation for development has increased by about 40%. Moreover, despite a series of internal and external distresses, economic situation of Pakistan improved significantly and reserves increased to US$ 10.5billion on June 30, 2004 as compared to US$ 1.2billion October 1999. As Prime minister, Aziz oversaw the large-scale expansion of military reforms and police reforms and significant investment in the country that led the boom of automotive industry, energy megaprojects, nuclear industry, port industry and presided the unprecedented GDP growth. Aziz's policy expanded the internet, telecommunication services, and liberalized the private media of Pakistan as his vision to internationalize the image of the country.

Subsequently Aziz became the first Prime minister to complete a full term in the office, in the history of Pakistan. After his tenure completed, Aziz went on to settle in London, United Kingdom where he is currently serving on the Boards of Millennium and Copthorne Hotels plc.