If Europe's embattled finance ministers think the unpopular task of fiscal consolidation is tough, they should spare a thought for Omar Zakhilwal. Appointed to Afghan president Hamid Karzai's government as minister of finance and chief economic advisor to the president in March 2009, Mr Zakhilwal has one of the toughest jobs in sovereign finance.
After 30 years of conflict, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world. According to the UK's Department for International Development, 50% of Afghanistan's 25 million-strong population subsists below the international poverty line, while 40% of Afghans do not have enough to eat on a daily basis.
