KARACHI: The government has appointed Farid Ahmad Tarar as chairperson of the country’s antitrust watchdog, the Competition Commission of Pakistan, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.
Tarar brings more than three decades of experience in public financial management, regulatory reform and economic governance. He has worked with several international development partners on fiscal and institutional reform initiatives in Pakistan.
He previously served as team leader in a European Union-funded public financial management reform programme and as strategic policy adviser in the UK-funded SEED programme of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. He also led a Unicef-supported initiative aimed at strengthening public financial management systems.
Earlier in his career, Tarar served as Pakistan’s commercial counsellor in Rome, where he worked on trade and economic diplomacy with the European Union, including engagement during the process that led to Pakistan securing GSP+ status.
A senior civil servant by background, he has also served as secretary to the Government of Punjab, finance secretary of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and as a member of the Punjab Revenue Authority.
Tarar holds a master’s degree in accounting and finance from the Manchester Business School at the University of Manchester and an MBA in finance. He has also contributed to policy work for development partners, including the Sindh Public Financial Management Reform Strategy and the Sindh Tax Revenue Mobilisation Plan.
