MUZAFFARABAD, Aug 6: The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) has taken strong exception to the frequent postings and transfers against the top position in a community-based project funded by the UN agency, warning that the practice could deal a further blow to the project already classified as a ‘Project-at-Risk’, Dawn learnt here on Wednesday.

The displeasure of IFAD was conveyed to the AJK government in a letter by the agency’s Asia and the Pacific division director, Thomas Elhaut, in wake of the latest transfer of programme director (PD) of the AJK Community Development Programme (CDP).

“We have noted with disappointment that Mushtaq H. Awan has been transferred in what is the seventh transfer of PD since the start of CDP in September 2004,” Mr Elhaut said in the letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn.

Recalling that the governments of both Pakistan and AJK had extended assurances regarding continuity of project’s management, particularly the PD, during various Supervision Missions, the Mid-term Review (MTR) of March 2008 as well as the IFAD Country Portfolio Review meetings, held semi-annually at the Economic Affairs Division, Mr Elhuat said the CDP had already been classified in the PAR category (i.e. problem project), and a key factor was the frequent posting and transfers of the PD and the consequent project underperformance.

He noted that over the last five months since the appointment of Mr Awan as PD, the performance of project had improved in a number of important areas, including the implementation of the MTR recommendations, but the new development (transfer of Mr Awan on July 29) was likely to undermine the ongoing efforts of eventually moving the project out of the PAR status.

He also recalled that the Pakistan government had already been communicated on March 27, 2007 that frequent changes of PD and the resultant high PAR ratio for the country portfolio were likely to have a direct and major impact on the allocation of IFAD resources for Pakistan.

Its worth mentioning that the Pakistan's country allocation under the current three-year cycle up to 2009 has been deflated, primarily due to the high PAR ratio resulting from two problem projects in the portfolio, including the CDP.

The IFAD had also sought, in line with the stipulations of the Loan Agreement of March 9, 2004, the viewpoint of the AJK government on the causes and circumstances for the change of the PD as well as the future plan for the project.

The letter has been addressed to the additional chief secretary (development) Capt (retired) Mohammad Yousaf who heads the Planning and Development department, and also the administrative secretariat of the Rs2,176 million CDP.

This correspondent made several attempts to get the viewpoint of Mr Yousaf on the issue but he was not available.