ISLAMABAD: The leading donor agencies are sending high officials on foreign tours in order to safeguard and promote their vested agenda in the country irrespective of its implications on the country’s financial health, Pakistan Today has learnt reliably.
Recently, the high ups of Asian Development Bank (ADB) offered a one-week study tour of Spain to six different DESCOs officers for Advanced Metering Infrastructure project.
Allegedly officers from Lahore Electric Supply Company Limited (LESCO), Islamabad Electric Supply Company Limited (IESCO), Hyderabad Electric Supply Company Limited (HESCO) and Peshawar Electric Supply Company Limited (PESCO) namely Imran Mahmood, Aamir Yaseen, Nasir Rahif, Mohsin Raza Gilani, Saeed Ahmed Dawach and Tahir Moeen have been sponsored for the international tour by ADB.
Officers told that the purpose of this tour was to make collect and establish a positive opinion on the above mentioned project as it entails a huge amount of investment worth $ 990 million, however, the tour has since been cancelled after the Ministry of Power did not approve the trip.
According to rules, government officials have to take permission from its ministry while visiting a foreign country.
Officers further told that it has become a routine practice in Pakistan as ADB, World Bank and others offer fully funded study tours to government officials and in return expect their agendas to be fulfilled.
Sources familiar with the situation said that in the past only multinational organisations used such tactics however now donors themselves are doing this.
In another case, officials of a Chinese company reportedly visited the metrological department high ups just to approve the strengthening of the early warning system.
Moreover, the World Bank officials took Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government officials to the USA just to pave way for the approval of a project related to the linkage of Islamabad and KPK via a tunnel.
An official of a donor agency on the condition of anonymity told Pakistan Today that everyone knows why donor agencies take officers on foreign trips. It is a routine matter for these agencies because they have to get certain projects approved.
Sources further added that officials, who have visited different countries on donor’s expense sometimes, propose projects that not only have negative implications on the local industry and the society as a whole but seem to endanger national interests.
Sources said that the approval of advanced metering project will damage the local metering industry.
Pakistan Today made repeated attempts to contact ADB media coordinator but was unable to get an official comment on the matter.
