Former Federal Minister for Finance and former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Dr Shamshad Akhtar, has passed away on Saturday. According to family sources, her funeral prayers will be offered in Karachi tomorrow after Zuhr prayers.
Dr Shamshad Akhtar assumed office as the 14th Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan on January 2, 2006, becoming the first woman to hold the position. She possessed extensive national and international experience in banking and finance. Before she was appointed Governor, she served as Director General for Southeast Asia at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a position she held from January 2004. Before that, she worked as Deputy Director General in the same department and also served as Director for Governance, Finance and Trade Division for East and Central Asia at the ADB.