Deadlock on PAC chief ends: Shahbaz appointed PAC head

ISLAMABAD: The deadlock on appointment of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman ended on Thursday when the government accepted the opposition parties’ demand paving way for formation of the House standing committees.

The committee will be headed by the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif.

Announcing the government’s decision in the National Assembly, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said he met Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday and he agreed to the opposition’s demand in order to make the House functional.

Prior to the start of the National Assembly session, Speaker Asad Qaiser, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak called on the prime minister and discussed matters related to legislation in the House, appointment of the PAC chairman and constitution of the standing committees.

“The prime minister told me that we should accept the demand if the opposition is continuing with its stubborn attitude and the National Assembly needs to be made functional,” the foreign minister said, adding it was not U-turn rather a positive step taken in the right direction.

The minister said the government would leave it to the opposition leader to nominate some other member from the opposition or accept the slot for himself.

At the same time, Qureshi said Shahbaz Sharif presently was facing NAB cases which were not framed by the incumbent government.

“We concede their demand, but we are also stuck to our opinion on appointment of opposition leader as the PAC chairman,” he said and appreciated the prime minister for agreeing to his request to resolve the issue.

He said the government had also accepted the opposition’s proposal to constitute a special sub-committee which would deal with the audit paras related to the former PML-N government’s tenure.

Qureshi informed the House that at least five to six draft laws which facilitate the masses were pending due to non-existence of the standing committees.

“We need to create room and show mutual respect for each other to take democracy forward and make Parliament functional,” he said, adding democracy will not continue unless parliamentarians showed maturity and fulfilled their basic responsibility of legislation.

The minister said the government and opposition members were elected by the masses and it was their obligation to take part in legislation to meet the expectations of those who have brought them to this august House.

“If democracy is not allowed to run, then the responsibility for its failure will fall on all of us,” he said.

Responding to the foreign minister’s speech, Shahbaz Sharif said the combined opposition nominated him for slot of PAC chairman adding that he will have to take matters forward while respecting their decisions.

“We are also ready to go an extra mile if the things happen in interest of the country and its people,” he said.

Welcoming the government’s decision, he said it would promote democratic traditions in the country.

However, he did not agree to the foreign minister’s assertion that the government had nothing to do with cases against him.

“The government and NAB are hand in glove and it is also a reality that the NAB is doing a selective accountability,” he said, adding that the prime minister and defence minister were also facing helicopter and Malam Jabba cases.

He also pointed out that inquiries against him and Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak were started in January this year but the NAB was yet to touch the minister while he had been arrested.

“I challenge that I am ready to quit politics if corruption of even half a penny is proved against me,” he said.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry wanted to respond to the opposition but the speaker directed him to take his seat.

PML-N leader and ex-speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq termed the government’s decision a positive U-turn saying it will strengthen democracy.

He said the country will make progress if U-turns were taken in this way.

“It is regrettable that the government took 123 days to take a U-turn on the issue of PAC chairman but I congratulate Imran Khan for taking a positive U-turn,” he said.

Ayaz Sadiq said the opposition will try to make up for the time wasted by the government due to a delayed decision.

He said neither the government would derail democracy nor would the opposition become a part of confrontation.

“The government is behaving like the opposition,” he said.

Recalling the PTI’s 2014 sin-in, Ayaz said he knew very well that the PTI parliamentarians did not want him to accept their resignations and that’s why they did not appear before him one by one.

“It was only Javed Hashmi who asked me to accept his resignation,” he said.

Clarifying his position, Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak said no land in Malam Jabba had been leased out and as such no corruption was committed.

He said he had appeared before the NAB authorities and clarified his position.

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf of PPP said a good decision had been taken in the best interest of democratic process.

Pervaiz said after a struggle of many years he’d reached a conclusion that rivals had to tolerate each other if they wanted to remain in politics.