ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Wednesday said Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the United Nations is under instructions to fully follow codal requirements, required under the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules for renovation of the residency.

Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui, while reacting to the media reports regarding the alleged approval of $25,000 for renovation of a bathroom of the residence of the Permanent Representative to the UN Munir Akram, said that the residence is a multi-story government-owned property built in 1920 and was purchased by the government in 1965.

"As a heritage building, the local laws require that the government of Pakistan regularly maintains and repairs the building. If regular maintenance of the prestigious building in not carried out, it could result in further deterioration, and cost the government of Pakistan even more," she said.

She said that the ministry had received a request for repair and maintenance from the mission on 13th May 2020.

As per procedure, she added that a seven-member committee on Funds for Improvement of Government Owned Buildings (FIGOB) headed by the Special Secretary (Admin/OP/A&C) recommended the proposed repair for the approval of Foreign Secretary.

The ministry conveyed the approval to the mission on 24th June 2020, she added.

"It may be noted that the amount sanctioned for the repairs inter-alia entails change of pipes, sewer pipes, plumbing issues and several related civil works...An amount of US$ 225,000 has also been cited in the news report. No such amount has been sanctioned by the ministry," she added.

She said that the repair and maintenance costs are quite high in cities like New York. "Above all, the mission is under instructions to fully follow all codal requirements required under the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules," she added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020