KARACHI: Pakistan named Jameel Ahmad, a deputy governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), as the central bank’s new governor on Friday, appointing him for a five-year term. 
The Pakistani central bank had been without a full-time governor since May and one of Ahmad’s first tasks will be to chair a monetary policy meeting to consider its policy rate. 
Ahmad’s career spans more than 30 years in various positions at the State Bank of Pakistan and the Saudi Central Bank, the country’s central bank said in a profile on its website. 
Among these included his stint as a member of the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee. Ahmad was also the chairman of the Board of Directors of Deposit Protection Corporation of Pakistan. 
During his career, Ahmad also coordinated with various ministries and represented the central bank in various parliamentary committees including the Senate and National Assembly committees. 
According to the State Bank of Pakistan, Ahmad has significant contributions to his credit in formulating the policy and regulatory framework for the banking systems of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and monitoring their financial soundness and stability. 
As a deputy SBP governor, Ahmad played an instrumental role in the digitization of banking and payments as well in the enabling of financial technology services, the bank said. 
Prior to his appointment as deputy governor of the Pakistani central bank in 2018, he was executive director of its Banking Supervision and Financial Stability Group.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan said on Friday it rejected what it called New Delhi's attempt at “pre-poll rigging” in Indian-administered Kashmir after announcements over two million new voters would be registered in the contested region, a move local political parties have called an attempt to influence upcoming elections.

The Muslim-majority region is claimed in full but ruled in part by nuclear arch-rivals India and Pakistan, who have fought two wars over control of the territory. New Delhi stripped semi-autonomy from its portion of the region in August 2019, changing the Indian constitution to allow non-Kashmiris to vote and own land there.

In a statement by the Pakistani foreign office, Islamabad said the announcement that even temporary residents in Kashmir, including outside workers and security personnel, would be permitted to register as ‘voters’ was an attempt “to influence the outcome of ‘so-called’ elections.”

“Despite its reprehensible measures that have followed the illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019, India will not be able to break the will of the Kashmiri people or to mislead the world community,” the foreign office said, calling on New Delhi to desist from violating “international law, the UN Charter, and the 4th Geneva Convention,” which relates to the protection of civilians in times of war.

“India must also release all political prisoners detained on trumped-up charges, halt human rights violations … lift the brutal military siege, and let the Kashmiris exercise their legitimate right to self-determination as stipulated in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions,” the foreign office added.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Electoral Officer Hirdesh Kumar told reporters on Wednesday more than 2 million new voters were expected to be enrolled in the region ahead of local polls due in November. The new registrants could increase the voter count by more than a third, adding to the existing 7.6 million voters in the region.

Kashmiris fear the rule changes will allow the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to alter the demographics of the region. The BJP says its policies in the region are for the benefit of ordinary Kashmiris.