35 Senior Government Officials to Visit Lahore for Special Training, with Pakistan Covering All Travel and Accommodation Costs

❐ Staff Reporter

Thirty-five senior government officials are going to Pakistan for training to enhance their skills and administrative experience. Five of them are at the rank of Additional Secretary and 30 are at the rank of Joint Secretary. The program, to be held in Lahore, will take place on 15th of this month.

A government order (GO) was issued by the Ministry of Public Administration in this regard last Wednesday.

As per the government order, the training will be held at the National School of Public Policy in Lahore, Pakistan. The 14-day training will begin on November 9 and continue till November 22. The officials are scheduled to leave Dhaka tomorrow, November 8.

Among the officials participating in the training are four from the Ministry of Public Administration. In addition, two officials each from the Cabinet Division and the Prime Minister’s Office will participate. The others are officials from various ministries.

After receiving the letter from the Ministry of Public Administration, the relevant ministries select the names of officials for training.

Earlier, in May, 12 senior Bangladeshi officials visited Pakistan for the first time for training. Among them, one was of the rank of Additional Secretary and 11 were of the rank of Joint Secretary. The training, which began on May 4 at the Civil Service Academy (CSA) in Lahore, ended on May 21.

The order issued by the Ministry of Public Administration states that the Pakistan government will bear all the expenses of the training and the visit. This includes travel, accommodation, food and training-related expenses. The Bangladesh government will not have any financial involvement in this visit. The participating officials will have to submit a report within five working days of returning home after the training.

Sources in the Ministry of Public Administration said that the Pakistani government had invited Bangladeshi officials for training at various times, but there was no response during the Awami League government. However, the issue came up again during the interim government.

According to relevant sources, when the BNP formed the government after the 13th National Parliament elections, the Pakistani government officially sent an invitation through the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry. Based on that invitation, initiatives have been taken to send the officers for training in the second round.

However, no formal agreement has been signed between the two countries on the training program yet. Sources said that the training is being organized to create opportunities for mutual understanding and exchange of experiences between officials of the two countries before the agreement is signed.