ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has approved the winding up of Pakistani missions in Ireland and Chile and eight commercial wings of such missions besides abolishing dozens of posts of press counselors/attaches, commercial/labour officers, community welfare officers to save billions.

The local staff in Pakistani missions would also be cut while all non-Foreign Service officers performing in the passport sections of Pakistani missions abroad would be recalled besides calling back the political appointees given foreign postings as “paid holidays”.

In order to ensure the output of Pakistani missions abroad in the fields of diplomacy, trade, commerce, labour, etc, it has been made mandatory that like Foreign Service officers, the local language of the country assigned would also be mandatorily learnt by those appointed as Press/Commercial/Community officers, attaches or counselors.

The Foreign Office sources said that the strength and working of all major Pakistani missions abroad is also being reviewed to review their present strength vis a vis their output.Following the approval of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a committee to monitor and implement these decisions has been constituted under Special Assistant to the PM on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi.

Two Pakistani missions in Ireland and Chile have been closed down. Eight Commercial Wings in capitals like Athens, Baku, Tripoli, Santiago, Mexico, OIC and others are also being winded up. At least, seven posts of community welfare attaches are being abolished.Three press wings in Jakarta, Kuwait and Kuala Lumpur are being closed altogether besides reducing the number of vacancies for press officers/attaches etc in certain other missions.

Local staff in different Pakistani missions would also be cut to minimum possible. Presently, it is said, the number of local staff is 581, which is considered huge and unnecessary.Over the years, many Pakistani missions have added the passport and immigration sections for which non-Foreign Service officers were getting posted. Now, it has been decided that all such officers would be recalled and the job would be done by the Foreign Service officers.

Nadra officials in different missions would also be recalled as this job would also be done by the Foreign Service officers after getting the required training.The rationalization of the missions like those in Washington, New York, London, Damascus, Baghdad and others would also be done to review the strength of these missions. Such a rationalisation would have an impact on the officers of the Foreign Service as well as the defence establishment.

Through these cuts and rationalisations, it is said the government would save a little over Rs2 billion annually. The break-up of this saving is like Rs1,200 million in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rs55 million in education side, Rs135 million in the allocation made for community welfare attaches, Rs54 million in the information ministry budget, Rs518 million in commerce ministry budget, Rs40 million in the passport department/Nadra allocations and Rs17 million that was spent on the only post of agriculture consular in Rome.

The sources said that many positions in foreign missions were created and then filled by appointing favourites of different political parties and leaders with the sole purpose of benefiting the appointee instead of the country and the nation. It is said that mostly the officers belonging to different cadres and specialisations were posted to major missions without knowing the local language.

From now onwards, it has been decided, that all officers whether belonging to the Foreign Service or from allied services would have to learn the local language of the country they are assigned.

Source: The News
Friday, January 03, 2014