The president’s Secretary General Salman Faruqi sudden departure to the US has raised many eyebrows.
According to a local newspaper, Faruqi is leading a three-member delegation, which includes Ismail Qureshi, a retired federal secretary and rector of the National School of Public Policy (NSPP), and Shakil Durani, also a retired bureaucrat who is currently serving as adviser on the Diamer Basha Dam project – a project that is not on the priority list of either Pakistan or the US.
Faruqi’s inclusion in the delegation raises concerns about the role of the presidency in running the affairs of the government.
Sources in the Prime Minister Secretariat said that even the ministries concerned did not have the slightest idea of the actual purpose of the visit. They added that officials in the US embassy were also unaware of the reasons behind the trio’s visit.
In response to written questions, acting spokesman for the US Embassy Mathew Boland refused to give any comment. He had been asked whether the US was financing the visit and with whom the delegation would meet in the State Department.
“If a visit is financed by the Government of Pakistan, permission is required from the finance ministry; and if the purpose of the visit is seeking development assistance, then it should be done through the Economic Affairs Division,” finance ministry officials said.
Before the departure, members of the delegation had said they would discuss energy issues, seek assistance for polio eradication and explore avenues to build capacity of bureaucrats.
Qureshi said that the delegation would hold discussions for seeking cooperation at the institutional level for the study of public policy and management.
Durani said the mission would hold meetings with the US State Department and the World Bank and discuss energy-related issues. The World Bank has already refused to provide financing for the Diamer Basha Dam, while the US, too, is reluctant to step forward despite initially announcing that it would provide financing for the oft-delayed $14 billion dam.
He said the delegation would also meet with the Bill Gates Foundation to discuss cooperation in polio eradication efforts. Interestingly, none of the members was responsible for the polio eradication campaign in the country.
Sources said the biggest objection to the delegation’s trip was the bypassing of laid down procedures for such foreign visits and its timing.
In a terse response, Shafqat Jalil, who is press secretary to the prime minister, said the premier had given his approval to the visit.
Would like to quote from a recent issue of the Economist "Africa needs a reborn liberation movement – except this time the aim is to free Africa from civil servants rather than colonial masters" This is so true for Pakistan. Politicians are the scapegoats for all the ills of bureucracy. Buruecracy has been and continues to be the real power broker who has pulled the strings of these politician puppets from day one. They are the true and real "system" that has been due for a change for over last 6 decades and thats why when the new governments, elected and dictatorial alike, are unable to make any dent on them in the initial year of rule, they prefer to collude with them on their terms and conditions. Punjab is no exception. Its a perfect example of working through the corrupt system without making any effort to change or improve it as far as it serves the purpose. So do we really want to continue with our eyes shut or its high time to give the devil its due share. We can try to do it now or let the democracy take the toll of these silent destroyers of Pakistan.
Comments are closed.