PTI asked to give four-member panel for PAC chairman

ISLAMABAD: The government has sped up its effort to elect Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman by next week and asked the PTI to give a 4-member panel for the post.

The government intends to elect the PAC chairman next week and if the panel is not sent within 7 days, the government coalition will decide on the PAC chairman.

Chief Whip of the ruling coalition, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, has written a third letter to the Chief Whip of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Amir Dogar and asked him to give four names for the PAC chairmanship.

Chief Whip Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said in the letter that in the first two letters, he had asked for a panel of 4 members for the PAC chairman.

He stated that the ruling coalition made a serious effort to elect the PAC chairman. “The decision to call for a panel of 4 names was a joint decision of the ruling coalition,” he stated in the letter.

Tariq Fazal Chaudhry stated in the letter that the government wants to give the post of PAC chairman to the opposition so that the process of parliamentary accountability remains fair and transparent. “Despite the passage of 10 months, the opposition has not yet sent the panel. As the ruling party’s Chief Whip, I am under pressure from the coalition parties for forming the PAC so that fair and transparent process of parliamentary accountability be started.”

Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that the government and the coalition want to complete the election process for the PAC chairman as soon as possible.

“Once again, as a last resort, you are requested to send the panel within 7 days. If the panel is not sent within 7 days, the government coalition will decide on the PAC chairman together,” he said.

The letter further said that the PAC chairman will be elected next week in any case.

It should be mentioned that after the government came into power in March, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq had formed 40 standing committees, including the PAC, after a delay of 3 months.

However, the most important committee of the parliament, the PAC, has not yet been able to elect its chairman even after 10 months.