Pakistan’s envoy at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva is utilising his political connections to get a two-year extension in service after his retirement in August 2012, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Shahid Bashir, a joint secretary of Commerce Ministry was appointed as an envoy to the WTO in November 2009 for a period of two years, but he still holds the post due to his strong political backing, sources said.
The commerce minister has reportedly forwarded the envoy’s summary for extension to the prime minister in violation of the Supreme Court’s orders. The SC barred government officials from seeking extensions after their retirement.
An official of the Commerce Ministry said that the raison d’être for the envoy at the WTO is “Doha Development Agenda”, which aims to secure better market access for developing countries. However, Doha Round reached a complete deadlock during the WTO ministerial conference held in December 2011 due to major differences between the US, EU and emerging economies like China, India, Brazil and South Africa.
Since the failure of that meeting, work at WTO is completely held up and the organisation faces extinction, the official said, adding that until the revival of the Doha round, the chances of which are very remote, there was no need to keep an envoy at the WTO on taxpayer’s money.
A ministry source said that before the start of Doha round in 2001, there was no independent mission to WTO in Geneva, and the work used to be looked after by the existing Pakistani mission to the UN in Geneva, having a highly experienced grade-22 official of the Commerce Ministry. After the Doha deadlock, the source said that it would be in the interest of Pakistan to restore the prior arrangement, as a separate mission to the WTO is sitting virtually idle and is a drain on public taxes especially as austerity measures are required to be adopted in view of the prevailing economic crisis in the country.
Senior officials at the Commerce Ministry have already expressed reservations about the performance and output of the WTO mission, which has not been able to make any contribution either at the Doha round or to seek any meaningful market access for
the country.
They said there was no justification to extend Shahid Bashir’s tenure, as he is already reaching the retirement age in August this year. Despite repeated attempts, Commerce Secretary Zafar Mahmood did not attend the calls to give his views on the issue.
Such favoritism, the hallmark of current inept and thoroughly corrupt regime, has ruined the country. Probably Pakistan has one of the larger establishment in expensive Geneva despite a stalled Doha round.
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