ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee sought details of the status of 168 pending cases from the National Accountability Bureau which was sent to the bureau by the committee in the last 10-years by Tuesday.
In the first formal meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, its Chairman Shahbaz Sharif also announced that he will not chair the meeting when the audit paras of the PML-N government discuss in the committee while proposing the four to five sub-committees of the PAC to examined the audit paras of the PML-N tenure.
PAC Chairman Shahbaz Sharif also announced that he will not part of any committee which examines the audit of the PML-N government.
Besides seeking the report of pending cases referred to NAB by the PAC in last decade, PAC Chairman has also sought briefing the department of the Auditor General of Pakistan on pending 18,000 audit paras on Monday.
Shahbaz Sharif’s production orders were issued by Deputy Speaker National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri on Thursday for PAC meeting that will continue till Tuesday.
On the start of the first formal meeting of the PAC, PAC Chairman Shahbaz Sharif said it was a honour for all of us for being a member of the PAC as though all the standing committees of the National Assembly have importance yet the PAC has a significant role to bring all the departments and institutions be brought under financial discipline. “I am used to of teamwork and desired that all of us should work while remaining under the ambit of law,” he said.
Shahbaz Sharif said the PAC was not a forum of running the news through media.
While briefing the PAC, Secretary PAC wing of the National Assembly told the committee that so far the audit reports of eight years were pending before the committee that comprise of 18043 audit paras.
Giving the performance of PAC during the chairmanship of Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, he informed the committee that the PAC and its sub-committee held 440 meetings and recovered Rs117.894 billions while PAC headed by Nadeem Afzal Chan held 174 meetings during the tenure, recovered Rs30.903 billions, 33 cases referred to NAB and 13 to FIA.
While during the PAC in the chairmanship of Syed Khursheed Shah, the secretary PAC wing of the National Assembly Secretariat informed the committee that the PAC and its sub-committee held 456 meetings, eight reports presented in the National Assembly, examined 7 reports partially, recovered Rs355.6 billions, 168 audit paras referred to the NAB and 56 audit paras were referred to the FIA.
He informed the committee that PAC which was headed by Syed Khursheed Shah took up the issue of excess salary and privilege of the ex-Auditor General of Pakistan and his removal by the Supreme Judicial Council, irregularities/embezzlements in leasing out the land of Grand Hayat Hotel, weak follow-up on cases by the federal ministries, delay in construction of new Islamabad Airport, irregularities in leasing out the land for Royal Palm Golf Club, losses/theft.
