KARACHI, Feb 9: The government, for reasons unexplained, has assigned to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) the responsibility of setting up Pakistani pavilion at Aichi Expo.

The CDA has not only been asked to organize but also to oversee Expo 2005, an international trade event to be held at Aichi, Japan, this March.

This mega event is regularly held with an interval of four years in a big city of the world and is classified as 'A' Class event among fairs and exhibitions of the world. The primary objective of this event is to bring different cultures and their eating habits closer to each other.

The ministry of commerce had initially asked the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) to take the responsibility of this event, but it declined. Then the Economic Coordination Committee and Planning Division decided to involve the CDA in the event despite the fact that private sector was keen to manage the Aichi Expo.

Two private sector companies with rich experience in holding such events were reported to have shown their willingness to hold the event. But for some unknown considerations the government involved the CDA which might have rich experience in holding some fun-fair events in the capital city but does not have global exposure of holding mega event.

In order to fit-in the CDA in the scheme it has also been decided that around 20 per cent of the allocated area of the fair which is meant for commercial activities such as opening up of gifts, souvenir and handicraft stalls as well as food outlets which are part of depicting any culture has been eliminated from the entire scheme of the exhibition stall of Pakistan.

Private sector exhibitors told Dawn that restaurant space for Aichi Expo has been rented out at $40,000 to a Japanese party without involving Pakistani companies who could have earned foreign exchange for the country. They further said that this means that Pakistani food will not be served at all.

"We failed to understand why CDA whose primary responsibility was to manage the development of Islamabad has been involved in a purely commercial and business activity," a spokesman of one of these private sector companies told Dawn.

If it was at all necessary, he said, the event should have been handed over to the EPB or given to a private sector representative body such as chamber. Both the private sector companies were reported to have approached several government functionaries but the bureaucracy opted for the CDA. "We approached chairman Standing Committee on Commerce in National Assembly, Iqbal M Ali Khan and also assured to bear all the expenses of around Rs30 to Rs40 million and guaranteed that at least half a million dollar will be added to the country's foreign exchange," another representative of private sector company said.

He said that Pakistani culture is being misconceived as Indian culture in most parts of the world due to lack of interest of the policy makers to promote our culture globally. Even our neighbouring country India was planning to develop 23 to 25 shops in their allocated commercial area but CDA has eliminated commercial activity in their scheme.