Facing difficulties to further continue the activities of a UK government funded project, Bushra Taskeen, Chief Executive Officer, Pakistan Peace Collective Project, has submitted her resignation and leveled allegations against Information Ministry of non-cooperation.
Pakistan Peace Collective (PPC) project is funded and supported by the British government ostensibly to end radicalization and root out terrorism from Pakistan. This project was launched in the country under the banner of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB) after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UK and Pakistani government. However, the project has reached at a standstill position for the last three months due to non-cooperative behaviour of Information and Broadcasting Ministry, while UK government is also worried about this important and sensitive project and wastage of its tax payers’ money.
A copy of CEO’s resignation available with Pakistan Today disclosed that Bushra Taskeen submitted her resignation to federal secretary information on March 31, 2017 and leveled charges against the Ministry of Information. She said the project was going on in adverse circumstances where the work being undertaken was not recognized and respected. “The non-cooperative behaviour of the ministry is condemnable,” Bushra Taskeen said.
She also accused that Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has created hurdles in the activities of the project. She said, ‘I have made my efforts to reach her (state minister for information) for timely disposal of the official matters but unfortunately her response was not only discouraging but also insulting. Moreover, I have waited for months to get a reply which has badly affected the deliverables of the project’. “Her (state minister for information) attitude clearly shows that she being representing of the government has no respect to the MoU signed between the two countries,” she said in her resignation.
Requesting the information federal secretary to nominate someone to whom she could hand over the charge, Bushra Taskeen said any delay in activities and deliverables of this project was actually wasting the British tax payers’ money.
Sources aware of the differences between Taskeen and Marriyum Aurangzeb said Ministry of Information was interested to use the funds of UK government funded PPC to meet own purposes. But, on finding resistance in the release of funds, the ministry started non-cooperation and using delaying tactics for the last three months and the project reached at a standstill position which ultimately forced Bushra Taskeen to step down as chief executive officer, sources said.
The sources also said that all the decisions taken by minister of state in connection with the activities of Pakistan Peace Collective were illegal and unauthorized and could be challenged in the court of law. They said it was clearly mentioned in the MoU dated 30-08-2011, page 8, para 4, “The project will work under the guidance and supervision of the minister’s office, and in close consultation and coordination will all MOIB’s administrative offices, principle and secondary partners”.
When contacted Press Information Officer (PRO) of Ministry of Information to get the official stance, he said, ‘Talk to the state minister for official version’. And, state minister for information and broadcasting despite repeated efforts did not come up for official words over the resignation.