Bureaucracy seeks removal of adviser development budget

Officials at planning ministry say Asif Sheikh is illegally using administrative and financial powers

ISLAMABAD: As the government flouts rules in distributing funds allegedly to sway the next general elections, the bureaucracy at the Ministry of Planning has finally made an attempt to unmask a man who purportedly extended support to every sitting government in the last nine years to divert funds.

In an eye-opening note to Secretary Planning, Development and Reform, the Joint Chief Economist, Operations of the ministry, requested immediate removal of Asif Sheikh from his position of Advisor Development Budget.

However, the note that was sent to Planning Secretary Shoaib Siddiqui on November 24 still awaits meaningful action. The internal note sheds light on how Sheikh extended his influence. It also disclosed that the last extension that former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilanni gave to Sheikh had expired in February 2013.



“The extension in contract would be for a period of one year as last extension and meanwhile, the Planning and Development Division may groom the replacement of Asif Sheikh,” according to a February 2010 notification of the Establishment Division.

But Sheikh is not only serving as the Development Budget Advisor but also using the administrative and financial powers, according to internal communication of the Ministry of Planning.

Sheikh, who retired in March 2008 after attaining superannuation age, was the man who allegedly advised the PPP government to use public funds for political purposes, said officials having knowledge of these developments. He is now 70 years old and cannot be a government contractual employee. The maximum age limit is 65 years.

But he remains the weakness of every secretary planning and the planning minister due to his willingness to serve higher-ups, said the officials. They said that Sheikh also played a critical role in devising a mechanism to divert Public Sector Development Programme funds for parliamentarians’ schemes in a manner that avoids the Supreme Court’s attention.

In its judgment, the Supreme Court barred discretionary spending by prime minister. But despite that the PML-N government doled out about Rs94 billion among the parliamentarians during past couple of years.  The contract employment of Sheikh may be discontinued with immediate effect and responsibility should be fixed for misusing the administrative and financial powers by Sheikh, according to the internal note.

At present, about Rs140 billion block allocations for parliamentarians’ schemes, clean energy for all, clean drinking water for all, and allocations for underdeveloped areas of the country are at the disposal of the planning ministry. Out of this sum, about Rs80 billion are earmarked as development grant of the planning ministry.

The officials said that due to illegal powers obtained by Sheikh, he plays an important role in distribution of these funds. A significant amount has also already been disbursed among parliamentarians during the current fiscal year as well.

The response of the planning ministry about the role of Sheikh in distribution of funds and alleged illegal extensions in his contracts was awaited till the filing of this story.

Months before his retirement, Sheikh himself prepared the terms of reference of his new assignment, which were almost related to “regular function of Chief of Public Investment Authorization (PIP) section and Joint Chief Economist, Operations”, according to the note. These are the two most critical posts in the planning ministry that decide inclusion of the development projects in the PSDP and allocations of funds.

In order to camouflage his work, Sheikh is sitting in the ministry as project director of Institutional Strengthening Project. The initial cost of this project was Rs39.9 million in 2008 that has now increased to Rs350 million, according to the internal note.

“The justification of the institutional strengthening projects has been faded out,” states the internal note. The Joint Chief Economist has even opposed extending the institutional capacity project to phase-III aimed at saving Rs350 million expenditures.



The ministry’s internal note further revealed that the audit authorities have also serious observations on extensions granted to Advisor Development Budget after attaining the age of 65 years in early 2013. His continuation in the office is against the prescribed rules of the Establishment Division controlling contractual employment, according to the note.

These audit objections are yet to be settled. There was also no record for his re-appointment or conversion from MP-III scale to a project post equivalent to BS-20 against which he is presently drawing the salary from the AGPR.

“The advisor himself in the capacity of pseudo project director moved cases for his extensions by concealing the facts from the competent authority”, the internal note stated.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th, 2017.

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