Three development sector officials on mysterious visit to the US
Despite repeated attempts, no official can explain the true nature of the visit.
PHOTO: EXPRESS/ FILE
ISLAMABAD:
The president’s Secretary General Salman Faruqi has flown to the US on a mission but the purpose and timing of the trip has raised many eyebrows.
Sources say Faruqi is leading a three member delegation, which also includes Ismail Qureshi, a retired federal secretary and rector of the National School of Public Policy (NSPP), and Shakil Durani, also a retired bureaucrat who is currently serving as adviser on the Diamer Basha Dam project – a project that is not on the priority list of either Pakistan or the US.
Faruqi’s inclusion in the delegation raises issues about the role of the presidency in running the affairs of the government, which is apparently unconstitutional.
Sources in the Prime Minister Secretariat told The Express Tribune that even the concerned ministries did not have the slightest idea of the actual purpose of the visit. They added that officials in the US Embassy are also unaware of the reasons behind the trio’s visit.
In response to written questions, acting spokesman for the US Embassy Mathew Boland refused to give any comment and instead advised that The Express Tribune seek a version “from the presidency”. He had been asked whether the US was financing the visit and with whom the delegation would meet in the State Department.
“If a visit is financed by the Government of Pakistan, permission is required from the finance ministry; and if the purpose of the visit is seeking development assistance, then it should be done through the Economic Affairs Division,” finance ministry officials informed The Express Tribune.
When contacted, Senator Farhatullah Babar, who is the spokesperson for President Asif Ali Zardari, expressed ignorance regarding the visit. “There is no truth in it. Salman Faruqi is not going to the US, whether on a private or official visit,” he responded. However, sources informed The Express Tribune that Faruqi had held meetings with World Bank officials on Wednesday.
Before the departure, members of the delegation had said they would discuss energy issues, seek assistance for polio eradication and explore avenues to build capacity of bureaucrats.
Qureshi, for instance, told The Express Tribune that the delegation would hold discussions for seeking cooperation at the institutional level for the study of public policy and management.
Durani said the mission would hold meetings with the US State Department and the World Bank and discuss energy-related issues. The World Bank has already refused to provide financing for the Diamer Basha Dam, while the US, too, is reluctant to step forward despite initially announcing that it would provide financing for the oft-delayed $14 billion dam.
He said the delegation would also meet with the Bill Gates Foundation to discuss cooperation in polio eradication efforts. Interestingly, none of the members is responsible for the polio eradication campaign in the country.
Sources said the biggest objection to the delegation’s trip was the bypassing of laid down procedures for such foreign visits and its timing.
In a terse response, Shafqat Jalil, who is press secretary to the prime minister, said the premier had given his approval to the visit.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2013.
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The president’s Secretary General Salman Faruqi has flown to the US on a mission but the purpose and timing of the trip has raised many eyebrows.
Sources say Faruqi is leading a three member delegation, which also includes Ismail Qureshi, a retired federal secretary and rector of the National School of Public Policy (NSPP), and Shakil Durani, also a retired bureaucrat who is currently serving as adviser on the Diamer Basha Dam project – a project that is not on the priority list of either Pakistan or the US.
Faruqi’s inclusion in the delegation raises issues about the role of the presidency in running the affairs of the government, which is apparently unconstitutional.
Sources in the Prime Minister Secretariat told The Express Tribune that even the concerned ministries did not have the slightest idea of the actual purpose of the visit. They added that officials in the US Embassy are also unaware of the reasons behind the trio’s visit.
In response to written questions, acting spokesman for the US Embassy Mathew Boland refused to give any comment and instead advised that The Express Tribune seek a version “from the presidency”. He had been asked whether the US was financing the visit and with whom the delegation would meet in the State Department.
“If a visit is financed by the Government of Pakistan, permission is required from the finance ministry; and if the purpose of the visit is seeking development assistance, then it should be done through the Economic Affairs Division,” finance ministry officials informed The Express Tribune.
When contacted, Senator Farhatullah Babar, who is the spokesperson for President Asif Ali Zardari, expressed ignorance regarding the visit. “There is no truth in it. Salman Faruqi is not going to the US, whether on a private or official visit,” he responded. However, sources informed The Express Tribune that Faruqi had held meetings with World Bank officials on Wednesday.
Before the departure, members of the delegation had said they would discuss energy issues, seek assistance for polio eradication and explore avenues to build capacity of bureaucrats.
Qureshi, for instance, told The Express Tribune that the delegation would hold discussions for seeking cooperation at the institutional level for the study of public policy and management.
Durani said the mission would hold meetings with the US State Department and the World Bank and discuss energy-related issues. The World Bank has already refused to provide financing for the Diamer Basha Dam, while the US, too, is reluctant to step forward despite initially announcing that it would provide financing for the oft-delayed $14 billion dam.
He said the delegation would also meet with the Bill Gates Foundation to discuss cooperation in polio eradication efforts. Interestingly, none of the members is responsible for the polio eradication campaign in the country.
Sources said the biggest objection to the delegation’s trip was the bypassing of laid down procedures for such foreign visits and its timing.
In a terse response, Shafqat Jalil, who is press secretary to the prime minister, said the premier had given his approval to the visit.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2013.
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