WITH exports and foreign investment stagnating, there is a growing perception that many trade officers posted in foreign missions have failed to deliver on what was expected of them.

Critics say the officers are generally political appointees of successive governments and are unable to carry out their specialised assignments. The issue has put to the test the PML-N government’s public commitment that it will post such officers purely on merit.

The commerce ministry is stated to be facing serious challenges in posting competent officers in foreign missions. The first challenge is to recall the trade officers who were selected in 2013. Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan, in his former capacity as chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Commerce, had said several times that the 42 trade officers selected in 2013 were political appointees.

The tenure of trade officers has been changed from a single three-year non-extendable term to an extendable two-year term. Critics say this provides legal cover to those officers who have been posted abroad for over four years

However, the reposting of six of the 42 officers has already tested his political will to take decisions on merit. The six officers include the husband of the minister of state for health.

A committee headed by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had recommended the closure of eight trade offices abroad; six officers at these missions were ‘political appointees,’ according to then-standing committee chairman Khurram Dastgir. As a result of the re-location of these officers, 12 others have already gotten stay orders from courts to extend their tenure in foreign missions beyond two years, while the remaining 22 officers may follow suit.

Another challenge is the eligibility criteria for the selection of trade officers. In this regard, the government had evolved a policy in June 2014, which then went through three major amendments. Now, postings at highly lucrative places — Washington, Brussels and Geneva — lie at the government’s discretion. Three trade officers are being selected for these posts, including the son-in-law of the chief election commissioner.

The tenure of trade officers has been changed from a single three-year non-extendable term to an extendable two-year term. Critics say this provides legal cover to those officers who have been posted abroad for over four years. For instance, the trade officer in Turkey has served for around seven years and the one in Geneva close to five years.

Finally, the occupational groups of income tax and accountants etc are also included in the eligibility list for foreign postings. However, the core function of these groups is not related to foreign trade matters.

This indicates that the extension in the tenure for officers at foreign missions is not for export promotion. There are several examples where bureaucrats have been given extensions so that their families could immigrate or their children could complete their higher studies.

And in some cases, these bureaucrats went on long leaves to complete their immigration procedure when the process was taking time. Meanwhile, some trade officers upgraded their education or gained specialisation in some area and never returned to Pakistan. There are also instances where such officers used government influence to get directly posted in international organisations.

On a positive note, the new policy for the selection of trade officers requires that applicants obtain at least 60pc marks in tests to be conducted by the Lahore University of Management Sciences. The weightage of the written test has been raised to 80pc in the selection criteria from the earlier 20pc.

The job description of a trade officer includes commercial diplomacy, promotion of bilateral trade and investment relations, building the country’s image, gathering market intelligence, business-networking and business-to-business match-making.

To fulfil these responsibilities, the criteria considered important for the selection of trade officers include: educational qualification or grip over theoretical framework and knowledge related to the job such as export marketing, trade instruments, international trade theories and international trade environment.

Trade experts believe that some basic skills necessary to performing the job efficiently and effectively include proficiency in computers, research and networking, and understanding the dynamics of the export value chain.

The 2005 policy provided that some officers could be brought in from the private sector, including multinationals, and posted as trade officers for two to four years. Consequently, a few people from the private sector were posted as trade officers.

But the exercise had mixed results. For instance, an executive from Unilever was posted in The Hague. He struggled to understand the workings of the government for a year, and in less than 18 months, on the basis of his experience as a commercial attaché there, he found a new job at the ING Bank in the same city and resigned from his position.

The government needs to revisit this policy of appointing people from the private sector, who often tend to be related to influential persons.

When it was in the opposition, the PML-N was very vocal in its disapproval of political interference in the selection of public servants by the previous ruling party. But once in power, it has found itself helpless in strictly sticking to its own policy.

Published in Dawn, Economic & Business, August 10th, 2015

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