ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz will decide on Friday the re-structuring plan of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), which had been delayed due to differences of the bureau chairman and commerce ministry over the proposed new organizational structure.

Informed sources told Dawn on Thursday that commerce ministry would give a detailed presentation to the prime minister on the re-structuring plan of the EPB for seeking final approval for implementation. Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan and EPB Chairman Tariq Ikram would attend the briefing.

The government had fixed June 30, 2005 for the finalization of the restructuring plan to make the EPB an effective tool for promotion of goods, services abroad and facilitating exporters. The sources said that the premier would remove the alleged differences between the EPB chairman and commerce ministry officials over the three proposals worked out for the re-organization of the EPB.

Under the proposed plan, the EPB would be converted into Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) with a policy board and a TDAP board. Besides the TDAP, a Guarantee Limited Company will be established, which will initially be assigned, on behalf of the TDAP, the task of managing exhibitions, delegations, promotion (local and abroad), Expo Centre Karachi and all research to be undertaken by the TDAP.

The policy board of TDAP would consist of 20 members and chaired by the commerce minister. The functions of this board were to be reviewed by the EPB chairman. It was to be noted that the policy board would be separate from the TDAP board, added the sources.

The TADP board would consist of Minister of State and Chairman (of current EPB) who will also be the CEO; member of the board will be the heads of the operational division; there will be a Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TADP who will be a Grade-21 officer.

The chairman, CEO and COO of the TDAP will also perform the functions of the Chairman, CEO and the COO of the Guarantee Limited Company, a separate entity from TDAP. The Board of the Guarantee Limited Company will be the Policy Board of TDAP with the Member for Commerce as its chairman.

The company staff will be commercially hired and will be all from private sector with the approval of its chairman.