He said Vo Viet Thanh, Saigon's mayor and a member of the party's central executive committee, had been asked by some visiting American Congressman about religious freedom.

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"Afghanistan will feel the change that Pakistan now has a strong and popular government, " Sartaj Aziz, a member of the PML (N)'s powerful central executive committee and a former foreign minister during Mr Sharif's second term, told the BBC.

BBC: Afghans are wary of Nawaz Sharif - but should they be?

Mr Padoa Schioppa headed Consob, Italy's securities' watchdog, briefly, before being appointed to the executive committee of the European Central Bank last year.

ECONOMIST: Bank of Italy