Govt, opposition differ on nomination of six senators for PAC

ISLAMABAD: The government and opposition difference on the nomination of 6-senators from the Upper House of the Parliament for Public Accounts Committee is delaying the process of notification of Senators in the committee that tasked for the Parliamentary accountability.

The Senate made amendment on July 28, last year in the Senate Rules providing that “the Senate shall elect six members for the Committee on Public Accounts, one from each province, Islamabad Capital Territory and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, out of which three shall be from the Treasury and three from the Opposition benches.

According to sources, the PPP nominated Opposition Leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan as its member from the Opposition side representing Punjab but the government had objected on its nomination on two grounds that the PML-N has also nominated its member to represent Punjab in the committee and its better that the opposition should nominate someone else from other province and second objection is that the PAC was already headed by the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly and it would not be appropriate that two Opposition Leaders be part of the parliamentary committee.

However, the PPP refused to change its nomination and still sticks that Aitzaz Ahsan will represent the party in the PAC. Sources said that efforts were being made to resolve the lingering matter between the government and opposition which was delaying the process of notification of 6-members from the Senate in the Public Accounts Committee.

It is to be mentioned here that authors of Charter of Democracy—Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani and Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar—played a key role to pave the way for the Senators in the Public Accounts Committee and to turn it to status of the parliamentary committee.

The National Assembly amended its rule last year to pave the way for Senators to become part of the Public Accounts Committee while Senate adopted amendments last week in the rules to give representation to Senators in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).