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Senate panel seeks action against officials for excluding MP from TDAP board

Our Correspondent
Wednesday, Oct 09, 2024

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Commerce has unanimously moved a privilege motion against the Ministry of Commerce officials responsible for the exclusion of the member of Parliament from the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) board since 2021, abrogating the law and Parliament.

The Senate panel met with chair of Senator Anusha Rahman here at the Parliament House on Tuesday. The issue of TDAP has persisted on the agenda for several meetings, and after a thorough review of the records of the Commerce Ministry, it was revealed that some ministry officials have consistently excluded the parliamentary members from the TDAP board since 2021, without any legal authority using unsubstantiated excuses.

The committee members took serious exception to the officials for consistently misleading the panel’s proceedings regarding the failure to acknowledge Senator Saleem Rehman’s ratification to the TDAP board from 2021 to 2023, and later the delay continued by some officials when Senator Bilal Ahmed Khan, despite his nomination by the Senate chairman and subsequent ratification by the Senate Committee on Commerce in September 2024, was not notified.

Senator Bilal lamented that this exclusion not only violated the rules of parliamentary conduct and the sanctity of the custodians of the House but also indicates ulterior motives, given that the TDAP received substantial amounts from the Export Development Fund, which could evade oversight by Parliament.

Following due deliberations, the committee concluded that no legal justification existed for the exclusion of parliamentarians as claimed by the Ministry of Commerce under the State-owned Enterprises (Governance and Operations) Act 2023 Act nor under a 2020 letter of Law Division, which have mysteriously been made applicable to the senators and MNAs being parliamentarians but at same time not made applicable to the nomination of the federal minister to board who is also a parliamentarian.

The committee took strong exception to the action of the Commerce Ministry officials, who without seeking legal advice from the Law Division or prime minister, appointed an advisor as TDAP board chair in 2021, without legally authorised by PM being federal minister incharge.

The committee asked for strict action against the officials who kept parliamentarians excluded from the board on one excuse or another in last four years, and also those who facilitated appointment of an advisor as TDAP chairman without authorisation by the then commerce minister. The officials failed to appreciate that the “status” of federal minister does not arrogate ‘rank’ of federal minister on anyone, be it an advisor or SAPM.

After detailed deliberations, it was concluded that the matter be referred to the Privilege Committee of Senate and for the Establishment Division to be involved to conduct an inquiry on “delinquent” officers serving in Ministry of Commerce and take action if any inefficiency and misconduct is established.

Upon reviewing the list of ex-officio positions filled through deputation from outside the Commerce and Trade Group within the Ministry of Commerce over the past decade, it was noted that Customs officers transitioned to Commerce Ministry in senior most grades 22, 21 and 20. The committee showed concern on senior positions occupied by non-Commerce and Trade Group.

The committee also examined the composition of the HR Committee of the TDAP board, observing that it improperly included representatives from the Ministry of Commerce when only board members can be on sub-committee of the board. Any others persons could be co-opted as special invitees but cannot be made members, and that was a violation and departure of the regulations governing the board’s structure.

Additionally, the committee received a detailed briefing on various Trade and Investment Officers (TIOs) of the Ministry of Commerce stationed abroad.

The committee was briefed by the trade and investment counselor in Nairobi. The TIO shared the demand for cheap rice.

The committee praised the collaboration that has led to the generation of tractors and motorcycles by Kenya from Pakistan, anticipating revenue benefits for the country.

Similarly, the Trade and Investment Attaché from Johannesburg, South Africa, briefed the committee on export potential from Pakistan.

The chairperson emphasised that the furniture and pharmaceutical industry associations could play a crucial role in enhancing exports of their products.

The committee discussed the country’s export growth and addressed the challenges faced by exporters in competitive markets. It stressed the importance of trade offices in promoting exports and emphasised the need for efficient operation of a commerce portal that provides demand of products in countries for export items from Pakistan.