Farid Ahmad Tarar appointed chairman CCP

The federal government has appointed Farid Ahmad Tarar as the new chairman of the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.

Tarar brings more than three decades of experience in public financial management, regulatory reforms and economic governance.

He has worked closely with international development partners on key reform initiatives in Pakistan. He served as team leader in a European Union-funded Public Financial Management (PFM) Reform Programme, strategic policy adviser in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)-funded SEED programme, and team leader in a UNICEF-supported initiative aimed at strengthening public financial management systems.

In these roles, he contributed to fiscal policy design, public expenditure reviews, institutional reforms and revenue mobilisation efforts.

Earlier, Tarar served as Pakistan’s commercial counsellor in Rome, where he worked to promote trade ties with the European Union, including engagement during the process that led to Pakistan obtaining GSP+ status.

During his civil service career, he has also served as secretary to the government of Punjab, finance secretary of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and member of the Punjab Revenue Authority.

Tarar holds a master’s degree in accounting and finance from Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, United Kingdom, and an MBA in finance. He has also authored policy documents for development partners, including the Sindh Public Financial Management Reform Strategy and the Sindh Tax Revenue Mobilisation Plan.