January 21, 2002	Monday	Ziqa’ad 6, 1422

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 20: Around 11 consultants working in the Board of Investment (BOI) are drawing over Rs60 million ($1 million) annually despite their failure to bring even a single investment project during the last three years.

This information was provided to the Chief Executive Secretariat by the Establishment Division, official sources told Dawn.

Under the cabinet decisions and President’s directives, hiring of foreign consultants is strictly banned except in circumstances where local consultants are not available.

BOI sources claim that the BOI obtained relaxation in rules, and recruitment of these consultants was made with proper approval of the competent authority. The sources however declined to disclose nationality and relationship between these consultants.

The Establishment Division has already received a list of around 100 low-paid government officials who have become surplus because of BOI’s restructuring and voluntary surplus scheme.

The annual salary of an average government official ranges around Rs60,000 while a single consultant is drawing over Rs1200,000 per month.

Documents suggest that John Hagestdat is working as foreign consultant expert on Investment Facilitation at a monthly emoluments of $20,183. Dr Peter Brimble, a foreign consultant as expert on Investment Promotion and Image Building, is drawing the monthly emoluments of $19,910.

Similarly, Douglas Lucius, Information technology and MIS Systems Expert as foreign consultant is being paid $10,465 per month while Ms Lim Pao Li, a foreign consultant on Development of Industrial Zones Policy and Regularization Expert, is getting $14,950 per month.

Besides these, around seven local consultants are being paid in foreign exchange despite the presence of government rules banning payments to local officials in foreign exchange.

Mumtaz Abdullah and Ghulam Mustafa, local consultants on investment facilitation, are being paid $1,955 per month each while Syed Javed Iqbal, Investment promotion and image building expert as local consultant, is drawing $2,128 per month.

Website Developer Hafeezur Rehman, Database Programmer Akbar Khan, Infrastructure Developer (Engineer) Abdul Hafeez Sheikh and Infrastructure Development (legal) as local consultants are being paid $2,300 each per month.

These sources say that the Establishment Division asked the BOI to provide a list of all contract employees appointed during the last two years for onward submission to the competent authority.

The foreign investment that amounted to $1.5 billion in 1995-96 and averaged around $600 million per annum during the whole decade of 90’s has fallen below $200 million in 2000-2001.

BOI sources say that decline in foreign investment has nothing to do with its activities rather it is because of factors beyond its control, including nuclear detonations by India and Pakistan and the subsequent regional situation.

These sources claim that they secured foreign direct investment commitments of over $2 billion last year that can be materialized once these consultants finalizes their job and the regional situation improves.