TDAP defying commerce ministry

Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) is reportedly defying the Commerce Ministry with respect to implementation of different orders, including the release of rebate announced in the federal budget 2014-15, well-informed sources told Business Recorder. TDAP''s officials in informal deliberations with their colleagues in Commerce Ministry claim that the organisation lacks capacity to deal with different matters but the fact of the matter is that they are afraid of maltreatment their colleagues faced in the past, the sources added.
"PPP government''s subsidy scam and subsequent actions by FIA against the officials including former Chief Executive Officer, Secretary and other officials constitute the main reason for concerns in TDAP," the sources continued. Giving an example, the sources said, the Finance Minister announced in federal budget 2014-15 that the government will extend rebate from 2 per cent to 6 per cent to those exporters who will increase their exports by more than 10 per cent against the corresponding year.
The sources said the Commerce Ministry took six months to issue an SRO in the light of federal budget announcements and after the lapse of several months Commerce Ministry issued the SRO 177 meant to release the amount of rebate to exporters. "The Current fiscal year is about to end after 40 days but the Commerce Ministry has failed to implement the SRO because TDAP is reluctant to release rebate, citing previous experience which sent several of its officers to jail," the sources maintained. TDAP is also reluctant to implement the measures announced in Strategic Trade Policy Framework (STPF) 2012-15 due to harsh treatment of their top officials.
Unconfirmed reports also suggest that there are serious differences between the incumbent Chief Executive Officer, TDAP, S.M Munir, who according to TIP is a Canadian national, and Secretary Rabiya Javeri Agha and this situation is in the notice of Commerce Minister, Engineer Khurram Dastgir. Former Commerce Minister, Makhdoom Amin Fahim and other former top officials are facing charges of corruption in rebate/subsidy scam and their cases are pending in courts. However, a couple of officials are still at large. Former Prime Minister, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani is also on bail in the TDAP scam.
According to sources, CEO also takes decisions very carefully keeping in view that that his two predecessors were jailed for what they did on the instructions of the then Minister. The incumbent CEO has also removed one of the Directors General Anis Alam who was very close to former Chief Executive Officer and ordered an inquiry on each file which was dealt with by Alam.