The Ministry of Industries and Production has failed to get approved the Ordinance to set up the Engineering Development Authority of Pakistan (EDAP), approved by the Prime Minister on November 23, 2006, to replace the Engineering Development Board (EDB), sources told Business Recorder.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in November last year had approved conversion of EDB into Engineering Development Authority of Pakistan so that efforts could be made to develop the engineering sector with the objective to position Pakistan as one of the global leaders in some selected engineering goods.
June 2007 had been set as deadline for approval of the Ordinance designed to set up EDAP. However, it is learnt the EDB Board in a recently held meeting did not approve the draft of the ordinance, saying that it was not circulated among the board members for comments before submitting it for approval. The Board meeting was chaired by Minister for Industries and Production Jehangir Khan Tareen, as the EDB has been functioning without a chairman and the CEO. The office of chairman fell vacant on resignation of Waseem Haqqie, whereas CEO Imtiaz Rastgar had to quit as his subordinates challenged some of his decisions and his appointment in the court. Abdul Hafeez Chaudhry, an official of the Ministry of Industries, is heading the EDB as acting CEO.
Sources said that according to the procedure, the ordinance has to go to the Law Ministry for vetting after approval by EDB board and forwarded by the Ministry of Industries and Production, the parent department of the EDB.
The Minister is not happy as, despite his directives, the EDB did not submit future plan for ''Hannover exhibition''. The EDB was directed to submit detailed plan in the next board meeting.