Dr Shamshad Akhtar, former governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and ex-caretaker federal finance minister, passed away on Saturday at the age of 71 after suffering a cardiac arrest. Akhtar was serving as chairperson of the Pakistan Stock Exchange at the time of her death, giving her a rare role spanning Pakistan’s monetary policy, fiscal management and capital markets. She was widely regarded as one of Pakistan’s most accomplished economists, with a distinguished national and international career spanning several decades.
