Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The country could never meet the trade target in the prevailing circumstances, as several key posts are still lying vacant in the Ministry of Commerce.

Absence of professional officers hailing from the commerce and trade group is hindering the enhancing foreign trade. Daily Times has learnt that the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) has a huge shortage of professional manpower in its subordinate departments, especially the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP). This is the very reason why that basic task of the ministry has not been fulfilled and Pakistan’s exports are plunging down instead of witnessing an increase.

It is worth mentioning that the government had missed the trade target for third consecutive year by $4.7 billion in 2015-16. Sources told this scribe that the Ministry of Commerce has the shortage of 17 officers including deputy directors, deputy secretaries, section officers, assistant account officers and research officers.

Furthermore, the ministry has assigned the additional charge of these vacant posts to some senior officers due to which the bureaucracy, working on important slots, is overburdened.

The job of executive director general is being looked after by Additional Secretary (Trade Diplomacy) Main Asad Hayauddin in addition to his own seat. Similarly, additional charge of focal person for National Task Force on Human Rights is given to Joint Secretary (Admin and HR) Dr Kausar Ali Ziadi.

Yasir Arfat, a section officer, is working on at least three posts at a time, as he is incharge of budget and finance, in addition to dealing with accounts, admin, human resources and pensions.

Many officers including Khurram Sheraz Gondal, Ali Bindial, Hina Gul, Yousaf Rassol, Hussain Haider, Abdul Razzaq, Arsalan Ahmad and Muhammad Umer Saleem Bhatti are working on their seats as well as additional charges assigned to them.

Sources said that according to rules, Commerce Minister Khurram Dastagir can avail the facility of one personal secretary and assistant private secretary, but he has kept two blue-eyed officers named Ahsan Riaz Chaudary and Owais Hussain Farooqi as director and deputy director, which is sheer violation of rules and regulations.

Meanwhile, the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), an attached department of the Ministry of Commerce, has a shortage of 47 key officers due to which the export promotion organisation’s working has reached the level of zero.

Amid disappointing performance of the ministry as well as dwindling exports, the Ministry of Commerce had decided to revamp TDAP some three month ago, but after lapse of almost 90 days, it could not start the overhauling of TDAP due to pressure exerted by TDAP Chairman SM Munir, who is in the good books of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

It is worth mentioning that the aim of creating TDAP was to achieve a quantum leap in Pakistan’s export. In order to fulfil its objective, TDAP shall employ right skills and competencies, professional management techniques, advanced international marketing strategy backed by competent market research and trade analysis, supported by use of latest technology.

An official, while talking to Daily Times, admitted the shortage of staff at important slots in the ministry. However, he lamented that the senior officers of the ministry had not been promoted for a long time.

He further said that the section officers are appointed from the office management group instead of commerce and trade group, resulting in lack of professional workforce.