The Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), which once took upon itself to provide shelter to the dwellers of arguably the biggest slum of Asia, is now in a desperate search for a refuge itself as its former top brass threw down the gauntlet on Thursday at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club.
Founders, members, workers and the incumbent leadership of the OPP were involved in mudslinging against one another, levelling allegations of financial and moral corruptions.
Former OPP chairman and architect Arif Hasan’s advocate Jibran Nasir levelled financial corruption charges against the incumbent chairman of the OPP, Aquila Ismail, sister the of late director Parween Rehman, who was gunned down in the year 2013. Nasir shared how Hasan resigned as chairman and OPP’s member of board in the year 2016 and yet his name and “forged signatures” were present in all the board’s minutes of meeting and resolutions.
“His [Hasan’s] attendance is mentioned in all the board’s meeting when he had already resigned,” he said, adding that when Hasan approached the OPP for financial audits, but he wasn’t provided with any report. Later, when they sought financial reports from the registrar society office, where all the NGOs are required to submit their yearly financial audits, the OPP reports were missing.
On behalf of Hasan, Nasir filed a complaint with the secretary to the industries and commerce department against the OPP. On June 8, the provincial industries and commerce department issued a notification initiating an inquiry against the OPP for its alleged involvement in mismanagement and financial malpractice.
Additional Secretary to Industries and Commerce Department Agha Fakhur Hussain was appointed inquiry officer into the affairs of Research and Training Institute for the Development of Katchi Abadi and its allied projects, especially OPP-RTI Orangi Pilot Project Research and Training Institute.
The terms of reference of the inquiry, as per the notification, are to thoroughly investigate the election process adopted by the management in the elections held from time to time. The inquiry will also be held to examine financial transaction accounts, any other action in the interest of members and details of all operational or dormant accounts “and till such time only essential expenses like salary may be disbursed”.
Ismail confirmed to The News that she has gone into litigation against the inquiry. The issue, according to Nasir, is of a “founder and a former board member versus his own organisation”. When asked if they had raised the issue with the current board members of the OPP, Nasir responded that they had fulfilled all the prerequisite formalities. “We have met people, written letters back and forth and then engaged the inquiry team.”
One of the OPP members, however, shared Hasan’s one of the research articles in Oxford Online published on March 31, 2020, titled ‘What Has Emerged From 30 Years of the Orangi Pilot Project’ in which he had praised OPP work and mentioned how it “is in the process of expanding its work and expertise”.
Meanwhile, CEO Akhter Hameed Khan Foundation Dr Ayesha Khan, who is daughter of the founder of OPP, Akhter Hameed Khan stressed Hameed Khan was the symbol of OPP. “The institution made an international name after hard work of a lot of people,” she said, adding that how the founder OPP Dr Hameed never made the organization a family affair but the incumbent chairman has made it one by appointing her daughter as programme manager at millions of rupees salary.
One of the former OPP employees, Asra Mehmood, shared how she was appointed in the year 2009 and had a great time working under Parween Rehman. After few years of her demise, she was asked to resign but then a termination letter came to her home.
The OPP Workers and Partners Action Committee in a joint statement said that up till now the organisation has laid off more than 35 long-serving employees. The statement further said that the OPP employees were unduly laid off. Their ruminations were paid off years later, and their arrears were cleared in lengthy installments.
In the joint press statement, the action committee mentioned how the present leadership of the OPP went out of its mandate and made employees carry out private favours. National Human Rights Commission member Anis Haroon extended her support to the OPP employees and said that it was injustice to fire employees, especially women, in such an economic crisis.
The OPP in its response on the presser said that over the past few months, a concerted campaign has been run by some individuals to cast doubt about the OPP’s integrity and its leaders.
“Today’s press conference is another such attempt. While we have tried to remain civil in the face of these baseless allegations, we feel compelled to address the falsehood and present the truth,” the OPP statement said.
As for the financial discrepancy, the statement said that there is complete financial transparency at the OPP-RTI, as evidenced by their annual audited financial reports submitted and accepted by the relevant authority each year.
It said that their financial audit reports are available publicly, on their website, and there has never been any finding of financial or governance impropriety by the OPP-RTI and its leadership. “Our audited financial statements are submitted to the Registrar-Joint Stock Companies, every year. Two of our projects are audited bi-annually. OPP-RTI has continued to follow its bylaws that were set in place in 1988, as evidenced by our up to date registration. We are also under process of registration with the Sindh Charities Commission and Economic Affairs Division and remain in good standing.”
As for the allegation of firing of trained OPP-RTI workers without due process, it said that it was a baseless accusation as all employees go through due process as per the bylaws (from 1988) and HR policies and procedures certified by the Board of OPP-RTI. “The list of 26 provided by a member of the “OPP Workers and Partners Action Committee” include four people were never directly employed by 0PP-RTI, two people who fell gravely ill and have since passed away as well as three trainees.”
The statement mentioned that the chairperson of the OPP-RTI is not “self-appointed” and Ismail has been a member the board since 2005. “She was formalized in her role as Chairperson in January 2017. She was endorsed by the previous Chairperson, Arif Hasan, in 2016 to replace him and does not draw any remuneration or benefits from her role.
The statement also mentioned Hasan’s article titled What has Emerged From 30 Years of Orangi Pilot Project, published in 2020 in which he wrote, ‘A lead role to keep the OPP intact ... was played by Aquila Ismail who became a source of strength to the members of the organization’.
As far as the inquiry, initiated by the Industries and Commerce Department, Government of Sindh, the OPP said that it has submitted a petition in the Sindh High Court against it. “This is because the Department was not following due process because of the use of influence, within the Sindh Government, by the three complainants. The Court has admitted the petition and has accepted our plea for an early hearing.” The first hearing is to be on the July 14.
The OPP-RTI strongly condemns the multiple threats of arrest of its management and staff as well as the leaking of the “OPP Employees Welfare Endowment Fund” bank account details by the “OPP Workers and Partners Action Committee” and their supporters. As for Dr. Ayesha Khan allegations, it said that she has never been involved with OPP-RTI in any capacity. “She has already received a defamation notice from OPP-RTI.”