Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The revamping of Trade Development of Authority (TDAP) has become a distant dream as the Commerce Ministry has not been able to complete the spadework.

Sources told Daily Times that the people who are at the helm at affairs do not want the overhauling of TADP because of their vested interests.

The Commerce Ministry’s high-up decided to shift the TDAP’s head office to Islamabad from Karachi.

However, sources said TDAP CEO SM Munir and Secretary Rabiya Javeri Agha are resisting the decision.

The ministry prepared a 21-point target list last August and circulated it among departments concerned with the directive to meet these points by December 31. Sources said the refurbishing of TDAP was one of the 21 points.

All the regional countries have trade promotion offices in their capitals, but TDAP’s office is situated in Karachi.

Sources said the TDAP’s overhauling can help boost the Pakistani exports which are decreasing with the passage of time.

First, it was the Exports Promotion Bureau then the government decided to revamp it and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) was formed on November 8, 2006. But now the government has once again decided to refurbish the department as it could not be helpful in increasing exports during one decade.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the country’s exports remained $21.8 billion during the fiscal year 2015-16.

The TDAP is the main body which organises international trade exhibitions and expos in Pakistan and around the world to explore new markets for Pakistani products so that the exports could be enhanced, but the ground reality shows that the government failed miserably in achieving the export targets in the last many years.

Documents available with Daily Times show that during 2012 to 2016, the Commerce Ministry allocated more than Rs 4.01 billion for TDAP to organise expos and exhibitions.

During the fiscal year 2012-13, the ministry sanctioned Rs 1 billion and TDAP participated in 87 exhibitions in Europe, China, Asia, Middle East, America and Africa.

Meanwhile, its expenditure stood at Rs 906 million. In the fiscal year 2013-14, the ministry approved Rs 1 billion and TDAP participated in 92 exhibitions in five countries. The TDAP spent Rs 907 million on these exhibitions. The TDAP participated in 92 international trade exhibitions in 2014-15 and spent the entire allocated budget worth Rs 1 billion and in the third year of the government’s tenure in 2015-16, the ministry earmarked Rs 1 billion for trade promotion. This time the organisation participated in 116 exhibitions in various parts of the world but Pakistan exports dipped to $21.8 billion from $25 billion.

The Transparency International had raised objections on the appointment of TDAP Chairman SM Munir, who is in the good books of Nawaz Sharif, which helped him to be appointed on the basis of cronyism, violating all rules and regulations.

“His age, education and nationality are against the criteria of appointment of a person as CEO under the TDAP Act 2013, as a businessmen and politician cannot be CEO of TDAP therefore government should remove this person from the important post.”

Talking to Daily Times, TDAP Secretary Rabiya Javeri showed her ignorance of the government’s plan to shift the TDAP offices to Islamabad.

About the TDAP revamping, she said, “The TDAP administration had all ready initiated this and we are working on product development and specification.”

“The authority is going to arrange Swat Expo on 3rd November and we will showcase our products to world in the beautiful city,” she added.