Ishaq Dar was given the name Pakistani deputy prime minister

Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s foreign minister, has been named deputy prime minister, the ministry of foreign affairs said on Sunday. Dar’s position as foreign minister will not change. The appointment was made one month after Shehbaz Sharif emerged victorious as prime minister in a nationwide election tainted by violence, arrests, and internet outages.

During Dar’s tenure as finance minister last summer, Pakistan battled for more than four months to reach a stand-by agreement with the IMF; PM Sharif’s involvement was necessary to seal a last-ditch agreement.

Dar is seen as close to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif: his son is married to Asma, the former PM’s daughter.