Haroon Akhtar Khan (born 1963) is a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

actuary, industrialist and politician who is currently serving as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) and Minister-in-Charge for Industries and Production. He also previously served as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Revenue with the status of Federal Minister from 2015 to 2018. He was previously a member of the

Senate of Pakistan The Senate of Pakistan, Constitution of Pakistan, constitutionally the House of the Federation, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. As of 2023, It has a maximum membership of 96, of which 92 are elected by the Member of th ...

from 2006 to 2012 and again for a second term in 2018.

Early life and education

Khan was born in 1963 in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

to General

Akhtar Abdur Rahman Akhtar Abdur Rahman (11 June 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistan Army general who served as the 5th Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee from 1987 until his death in 1988. He previously served as the 12th Director-General of Inter-Servic ...

, the director general of the ISI under military dictator General

Zia-ul-Haq Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (12 August 192417 August 1988) was a Pakistani military officer and statesman who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until his death in an airplane crash in 1988. He also served as the second chief of ...

. He earned his

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

Actuarial Science Actuarial science is the discipline that applies mathematics, mathematical and statistics, statistical methods to Risk assessment, assess risk in insurance, pension, finance, investment and other industries and professions. Actuary, Actuaries a ...

and

Business Administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

from the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and later became a Fellow of the

Society of Actuaries The Society of Actuaries (SOA) is a global professional organization for actuaries. It was founded in 1949 as the merger of two major actuarial organizations in the United States: the Actuarial Society of America and the American Institute of A ...

(SOA) in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and also a Fellow of the

Canadian Institute of Actuaries The Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA) is the national organization of the actuarial profession in Canada. It was incorporated March 18, 1965. The FCIA designation stands for Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. As the national orga ...

(CIA), at the time of his qualification being the youngest actuary in the history of the profession.

Political career

Khan was elected to the

Provincial Assembly of Punjab The Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, also known as the Punjab Assembly, is the supreme Legislature, legislative body of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. It convenes at the #Assembly building, A ...

in 1993 and then again in 2002. Khan has also been elected twice to the

, serving from 2006 to 2012 and then getting elected to a second term in 2018. In his time in the Senate, Khan was an influential voice and a senior member of the Committees on Finance, Economic Affairs and Revenue as well as Industries and Production. During his term as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) for Revenue, which began in 2015, Khan helped the

Federal Board of Revenue The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) (), formerly known as Central Board of Revenue (CBR), is a federal law enforcement agency of Pakistan that investigates tax crimes, suspicious accumulation of wealth, money-laundering make regulation of collec ...

collect record taxes. The tax-to-GDP ratio, a key indicator of revenue collection, reached a peak of 11.4 percent in 2017-18 under Khan's leadership. In 2025, Haroon was appointed as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) and Minister-in-Charge for Industries and Production, a move that was hailed by economic experts and industrialists given his extensive experience in economic and tax policy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Haroon Akhtar Living people Pashtun politicians Pakistani actuaries Pakistan Muslim League (N) politicians Members of the Senate of Pakistan Pakistani emigrants to Canada Naturalized citizens of Canada People who lost Canadian citizenship University of Manitoba alumni 1957 births