Pakistan's new prime minister has appointed 57-year-old economist and businessman Miftah Ismail as the finance minister who will be tasked with quickly arresting a downward economic spiral and getting IMF talks back on track.
Ismail, who briefly held the post four years ago, brings with him a record of decisive policy action and a close relationship with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif but faces a daunting array of challenges, from falling foreign currency reserves to soaring inflation and potentially historic deficits.
