PEC Questions Proposal to Establish Construction Industry Development Board as Separate Entity

Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has raised objections to the establishment of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) as a separate entity.

Registrar PEC, Dr. Nasir Mehmood Khan, has written a letter to the Planning Commission of Pakistan, stating that PEC has serious reservations over the minutes of the second meeting of the relevant sub-committee held on 15 February 2022. He observed that the minutes were not correctly recorded, nor was their copy provided to PEC before issuing them. He objected that the Planning Commission unilaterally issued the minutes.

Dr. Nasir stated that Chairman PEC, Engr. Najeeb Haroon, has taken a strong stance that establishing CIDB as a separate entity will affect the regulatory functions and sustainability of PEC. He mentioned the decision unanimously made by the PEC governing body that CIDB should be established under the umbrella of PEC. He underlined that PEC is ready to extend all the technical and financial support and maintain its autonomous status similar to the engineering accreditation board that has been autonomously functioning in PEC for the last many years.

According to the letter, the decision made in para-12 (ii) of minutes would amount to bulldozing the regulatory function of PEC. In the meeting, the Constructors Association of Pakistan (CAP) and the Atomic Energy Commission of Pakistan (AECP) representatives agreed to establish CIDB under the umbrella of PEC. It is beyond the mandate of the sub-committee as per the given term of references by the main committee to revise the composition of CIDB. In the meeting, PEC and Pakistan Council for Architects and Town Planners (PCATP) strongly supported the establishment of CIDB under the umbrella of PEC.

AECP supported the incubation of CIDB under PEC and the establishment of CIDB under the umbrella of PEC which indicates that none of the above major stakeholders opted for the establishment of CIDB under the Planning Commission. The majority of stakeholders gave their vote in favor of the establishment of CIDB under PEC.

In the said letter, PEC has demanded the correction of minutes of the sub-committee and circulation of corrected minutes before the main meeting of the Planning Commission scheduled for 9 March 2022.