BISP chief may quit after rift with secretary

ISLAMABAD: Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairman Anwar Baig is likely to tender his resignation within a couple of days after severe administration crisis in multi-billion project, ‘The News’ has learnt reliably.

According to sources privy to Mr Baig, the powerful secretary of BISP has taken over the affairs of the multi-billion programme asking the junior staff not to engage with the chairman.Sources said the rift between the two top officials has jeopardized the future of 5.5 million families benefiting from Rs70 billion poverty alleviation programme.

This situation has put the entire BISP staff in a dilemma whether to follow the orders of the influential secretary or the chairman who was appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.Sources said no policy decision had been taken regarding the crucial affairs related to BISP for the last few weeks owing to complete breakdown of communication between the chairman and the secretary.

Sources said the foreign donors were also concerned over the internal crisis in the mega project.BISP is a flagship poverty alleviation programme which is partially funded by the international donors. An amount of Rs70 billion had been allocated for the programme for the financial year 2012-13 to provide cash assistance to 5.5 million families, which constitutes almost 18 percent of the entire population. The programme is aimed at covering almost 40 percent of the population below the poverty line.

The rift started when BISP Secretary Rab Nawaz made a payment of Rs2.6 million to an NGO owned by a US-national without approval of the scrutiny committee just a few days after assuming his post. The company chairman, however, said it was a Pakistani company registered with SECP and it had nothing to do with US. He said the company accomplished its task of conducting spot checking and holding surveys in 66 districts of the country and its work was approved by BISP but the payment of over Rs 220 million was pending since last June 2013 because of ongoing infighting in BISP.

The powerful secretary had also immediately removed an honest internal auditor who had unearthed the corruption of Rs150 million in award of a consultancy contract worth Rs2.63 billion.

The BISP chairman took strict notice of the irregularities and sought explanation from Rab Nawaz. However instead of giving any explanation, Rab Nawaz ordered the entire BISP staff not to engage with the chairman.

When contacted, BISP Chairman Enver Baig confirmed the rift and said he would request the prime minister to intervene for the future of 5.5 million families who are living below the poverty line.

The matter even came to the attention of Parliament where three ruling party MNAs and one legislator of Muttahida Quomi Movement (MQM) moved separate calling attention notices. However even the parliamentary notice could not improve the situation in BISP as sources said the secretary is backed by a group of very influential bureaucrats and a powerful cabinet member who are supporting the secretary despite his tainted past.

Sources said the issue had become a test case for the prime minister who would have to decide soon whether to allow Grade-20 bureaucrats to run the affairs of the government or let the politicians control their respective departments and be answerable for their performance.

Sources said the incumbent BISP secretary was removed twice by the PML-N’s Punjab government for dismal performance and negligence.

First he was removed from the post of the Punjab Irrigation and Power Secretary after he was found guilty of negligence during devastating floods of 2010 by a judicial commission constituted by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

The commission had not only recommended immediate removal of Rab Nawaz from the post but also asked for inquiry against him after he was found responsible for loss of hundreds of lives and of property worth tens of billions of rupees.

The report of the commission concluded that the officer had failed to meet the monumental challenge of two floods in the River Indus during the 2010 monsoon, causing widespread devastation. But the officer of the powerful District Management Group again managed to get the prize posting in the province as secretary energy. However, he could not satisfy the fast-paced chief minister with his performance in the energy sector and was subsequently removed for failing to initiate any new power project in the province.

Despite repeated calls and messages on his mobile phone for last five days, Rab Nawaz did not respond to The News for his version.However talking to this correspondent earlier this month, the BISP secretary denied committing any irregularity. He said the payment of Rs2.7 million was released on merit. He said the service provider had submitted his bill six months ago but the scrutiny committee never met nor examined his case.

“So I asked the service provider to hold a presentation in the presence of the committee members and when no one objected to the performance of the said service provider, I directed them to release the payment,” he said.

Referring to the transfer of the internal auditor, Rab Nawaz said the officer had completed his five-year tenure so he was transferred. He also claimed that there were certain audit paras against him.

The secretary added that he was asked to work in BISP on the basis of his past experience with poverty reduction programmes in Pakistan and abroad and with foreign funding agencies.When asked about the reports that he was removed twice in Punjab over poor performance, Rab Nawaz denied these reports and said that it was a matter of official record if someone would bother to check. And as far his integrity and repute was concerned, that could easily be verified from anyone in the offices he previously served.

He was asked about the reports that the Flood Enquiry Tribunal had held him responsible for poor management of the flood, he replied that Punjab government had not agreed to the commission’s findings and therefore, no action was initiated against him.

About the institutional issues in BISP, the secretary said that no proper rules had been framed in BISP to define the roles and guide the work of various offices. Once the rules were framed, there would be no issue in proper working of BISP, he said.

Govt, military rift to be over soon: Nisar

 

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Sunday conceded that the rift between the military and the government were caused by some statements. However, he said the controversy would be over soon.
Addressing a press conference at the Punjab House, he said that civil-military relations had become stronger than in the past. He said that the government and military had the same ‘Qibla’ (direction).

“However, irritants have been created at some stages but we will get over them and we are right on the line,” the minister said.He ruled out the release of Taliban combatants, saying that no such demand was made by the TTP either.

The minister said that there was no difference of policies between the government and the military regarding the dialogue process and the release of non-combatant prisoners. The release of non-combatants was carried out with consensus, he added. He maintained that the army was on board regarding the release of non-combatants.

He said that had the armed forces not been fully on board, the progress he had made in dealing with the Taliban wouldn’t have been possible.The government had held consultations with the army over the issue of setting Taliban prisoners free, he said.

Nisar said neither were the peace talks suspended nor was there any deadlock in this connection.He dispelled the impression that there was a deadlock in peace talks between the government and the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

The minister said that a comprehensive dialogue with the Taliban would start from the next meeting to be held in a couple of days.Talks between the government side and the Taliban were formally started a couple of weeks ago and the next meeting would be held with a comprehensive agenda, he said.

“Our agenda for the next meeting with the Taliban is peace, the Constitution and the law. We want complete peace in the country and things are moving in the right direction”, he said. He contradicted the news item that a Taliban commander had been released.

The minister noted that three to seven violent incidents had taken place prior to the talks but recently not a single such act had occured.“A second round of direct talks between the government and Taliban mediators will be held next week as per schedule,” he said.

“It was mutually agreed in our previous meeting with the Taliban’s interlocutors that talks would be held either on Monday and Tuesday or after this Sunday,” he explained.

The government negotiation committee would go to Wazirsitan to hand over the list of prisoners in a few days, he said. Some foreign elements, he said, were trying to sabotage the peace process.

He said the war could not be fought and won by the security forces alone, adding that the whole nation would have to unite to win the fight against terrorism.Nisar elaborated that civil-military relations were very positive and called for avoiding political point-scoring on national security issues.

He appreciated the role of some opposition parties in this regard. “The PTI, despite being an opposition party, has demonstrated responsibility on the issue of terrorism,” he added. Talking about progress regarding the investigation into the Islamabad Sabzi Mandi blast, Nisar said that satisfactory leads were traced during the last 72 hours. He said that it had been confirmed that the device was planted in a guava box transported from southern Punjab by a passenger bus to Pir Wadhai and later shifted to Sabzi Mandi by a Suzuki pickup. He said that the people engaged in the investigation of the case focused on the activists involved in planting the explosive device in the guava box and rounded up 8 to 10 persons who transported the box to Pir Wadhai and shifted it to Sabzi Mandi.

The specific vehicle was also included in the probe, he said.He avoided giving the name of the city from where the guava crate was loaded. Sources hinted that the crate was loaded from areas adjoining Muzaffargarh.

The people who had ruined the security situation of the country were criticising the government and statements were being issued by people under whose rule the situation had reached its current state, he said.

Nisar disclosed that the Baloch group which had claimed responsibility for the Islamabad fruit market blast was not involved in the terrorist attack. He lashed out at opposition parties for scoring points on the media following the Islamabad bombing.

The minister pointed out that even the Taliban had condemned the recent incident in Islamabad’s fruit and vegetable market, terming it an un-Islamic and immoral act. This was a major shift on their part, which was a positive development, he added.

He said the government was committed to ensure the installation and provision of a modern security system in the federal capital within a year.The central command system was being upgraded, with the installation of 2,400 of the latest security cameras, besides capacity building of security personnel, he added.

The minister said the elite force from Punjab and Rangers would be deployed in the federal capital for better security and surveillance. The latest equipment would also be provided to the law enforcement agencies.

Nisar said the Islamabad police were working on the investigation report on the fruit market blast, taking all aspects into consideration to ensure a thorough probe.He said it was not possible to ensure proper security of the fruit and vegetable market having an area of 400 kanals and with an adjacent Katchi Abadi (slum) of 200,000 inhabitants, including foreigners.

He said it was not possible to manually check everyone as 10,000 to 15,000 people visited the place at a time, while around 250 vehicles came to the market daily.He said not all but several unregistered people had been living in the Katchi Abadis for the last 12 years. “Who had allowed them to live there?” he asked.

He said the residents of Katchi Abadis should be shifted to other places, but not those who were unregistered. The National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) had been given the task to ascertain the particulars of these people and the police would be involved in the next phase for the verification of their record, he added.

US ambassador to India quits after rift

WASHINGTON: The US ambassador to India resigned Monday in the wake of a bitter rift between the usually friendly countries following a diplomat's arrest in New York.

The announcement by Nancy Powell, a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in South Asia, comes days before India heads into elections in which the Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi -- formerly a US pariah -- is forecast by polls to become prime minister.

Powell, in a brief statement, did not elaborate on her reasons but said that her decision was "planned for some time" and that she will retire by the end of May in the eastern US state of Delaware. She is in her late 60s.

Powell, who has been ambassador for less than two years, submitted her resignation to President Barack Obama and announced her decision at a meeting of staff in New Delhi, said the statement issued by the embassy.

She is leaving after the worst crisis between the United States and India since they started building a warmer relationship in the 1990s. India voiced outrage in December when one of its diplomats, Devyani Khobragade, was arrested and strip-searched in New York on charges of underpaying her servant.

US diplomats expressed regret over the diplomat's treatment but appeared to have been blind-sided by the decision taken by prosecutors. Khobragade returned to India under a deal, but prosecutors went ahead in March with a second indictment.

In February, Powell took the lead in US policy by meeting with Modi, the chief minister of the western state of Gujarat and candidate for prime minister of the right-leaning Bharatiya Janata Party.

The United States had earlier refused Modi a visa on human rights grounds over anti-Muslim riots in 2002 in which more than 1,000 people were killed. Critics accused Modi of turning a blind eye or worse to the violence, although investigations cleared him of personal blame.

Despite the controversy in Washington over Modi, most policymakers agreed that the United States needed to reach out to him due to the likelihood he will become prime minister.

Powell, who holds the prestigious title of career ambassador, served as a US diplomat for 37 years and was previously the top US envoy in Ghana, Nepal, Pakistan and Uganda.