July 11, 2006	Tuesday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 14, 1427

ISLAMABAD, July 10: The government has fine-tuned the proposed draft ordinance for the establishment of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to address the concerns of the existing employees of the EPB, it is learnt.

"We have resolved the major irritant — appointment of people only from the private sector in the new authority -- which delayed the establishment of the TDAP. The officers of the CTG will now be retained in the new authority as government officers," a senior official on condition of anonymity told Dawn.

He said the draft text of the ordinance had been sent to Law Division and after vetting it would be presented before the special cabinet meeting on July 17 to be presided by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.

The establishment of TDAP by replacing the Export Promotion Bureau had attracted stiff resistance from the officers and officials of commerce and trade group (CTG) as well as parliamentarians because initially it was proposed that no officer, employee, servant, or any other person holding any post in connection with the affairs of the EPB would have any right or lien to appointment to any post in the new authority.

It was also proposed that any person who is appointed by the authority would have the option either to remain a civil servant or to be an employee of the authority. The option once exercised shall be irrevocable.

When asked whether the authority would be created through an ordinance or Act of parliament, the official said that any decision in this regard would be taken in the cabinet meeting.

The official said that all the major concerns of the existing employees of the EPB had been incorporated in the new law. However, he clarified that those officers who would join the new authority would not be entitled to market based salaries.

Moreover, he said that training to the government officers would be given according to the TDAP standards and they would be answerable to the authority heads on their performance. Apart from that the police powers, export licensing and regulatory powers etc., provisions proposed in the earlier draft had been done away with.

A reliable source told Dawn that the government had also scraped its earlier proposal that the CTG officers of BPS19-20 would be merged in the secretariat group and BPS17-18 officers would be merged in the OMG group. The current chairman EPB will be the chief executive of the new authority, who would enjoy the status of minister.

Under the proposed plan, about five to seven directors general mostly from the private sector would be appointed at market based salaries. The government would appoint the chief executive.