PM orders third-party checks for big projects
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the establishment of an effective system for addressing complaints and concerns related to the procurement process and mandated third-party validation for all development projects exceeding Rs2 billion.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office, a meeting on electronic procurement and the E-Pak Acquisition and Disposal System was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday.
The PM noted that the government is taking robust measures to ensure a transparent process for all types of procurement. During the meeting, he instructed that third-party validation be conducted to address complaints and concerns related to the procurement process.
He said the system for resolving complaints and concerns regarding the procurement process should not be under the purview of the procuring agency, and steps should be taken to amend the rules and regulations in this regard.
Shehbaz also directed the relevant officials that all development projects exceeding Rs2 billion must undergo third-party validation.
Third-party validation refers to an independent assessment or evaluation conducted by an external organization or entity that is not directly involved in the project or process being reviewed.
The purpose of third-party validation is to ensure objectivity, transparency, and impartiality in the evaluation, helping to confirm that processes, outcomes, or data meet specific standards or requirements.
Earlier, the PM was briefed on e-procurement. He expressed displeasure over the slow progress in the project's implementation and voiced his dissatisfaction with the quality of work and the incompleteness of the process, instructing that the project be completed within a month.
Officials informed the meeting that the e-procurement project, initiated by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) with World Bank funding in 2017, has a total cost of $45 million.
The e-procurement has been implemented in 37 federal ministries and 301 procuring agencies, and 8,988 officials from these agencies have been trained by the PPRA on e-procurement, the participants were told.
It was also noted during the briefing that the federal government's procurement volume through e-procurement is approximately Rs1,551 billion.
Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) related to e-procurement have been signed with the governments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik, Prime Minister's Coordinator Rana Ehsan Afzal, and other senior government officials.
Palestinians
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday urged the international community to take immediate action on the recent UN report by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) highlighting the forced displacement of Palestinians and food insecurity among children.
The report serves as fresh evidence of Israel's crimes against Palestinians, with the UN revealing that not a single day passes without the bloodshed of innocent Palestinians. The report also notes that Israeli forces are targeting Palestinian children, with a clear intent to eradicate the Palestinian population, the prime minister said.
It has been 322 days since the genocide of Palestinians began, PM Shehbaz Sharif said adding that the forced evacuation of 250,000 Palestinians from their homes in the month of August was a challenge to international institutions, international conscience and international law.
Furthermore, he highlighted that the pace of Israeli oppression could be gauged from the unjust eviction of 146 Palestinians from their homes in just two days.
"The report of the United Nations agency confirms that on the one hand, the genocide of Palestinians with deadly weapons continues, on the other hand, hunger is being used as a weapon."
The prime minister said only one percent children in the Northern Gaza while six percent children in southern part of the city were getting food.
Israel has accelerated the massacre of common Palestinians by pouring fire and explosives from the air, land and sea, he said.
"If the Israeli state, which commits crimes against humanity, is not brought to justice, the international institutions themselves will be brought to justice."
The prime minister highlighted that the reports of international organizations were a serious indictment against Israel, the murderers of humanity should be punished, the oppressed should be protected.
He reaffirmed his commitment that Pakistan would speed up delivery of food to Palestinians, especially children.