PAC’s right to scrutinise audit paras: Review of payments to Broadsheet intensify NA speaker-opposition tensions

ISLAMABAD: Tensions between the opposition and Speaker Asad Qaisar are bound to exacerbate after he said that certain matters, including payments made by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to Broadsheet and another related overseas firm, were beyond the purview of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The speaker has told PAC Chairman Rana Tanveer Hussain, who belongs to the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), that the accountability committee cannot under the rules take up for review payments made by NAB to Broadsheet as well as the affairs pertaining to an agreement worked out by the postal department.

However, the PAC chief, quoting the rules, told the speaker bluntly that the forum was fully authorised to examine the objections noted by the auditor-general of Pakistan (AGP) on all the dealings concerning foreign assets recovery firms and the postal department so that losses to the national exchequer were highlighted and those responsible punished.

The speaker and opposition parties have not even been on talking terms for a long time. The opposition has made it known that it would not hold any meeting with him. Apart from the recent contentious issue, the confrontation between the two sides continues to rise because of other issues, specifically how House proceedings are being run by Asad Qaisar.

The Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly clearly define the functions of the PAC. Rule 203 says “the PAC will examine the accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by the National Assembly for expenditure of the government, its annual finance accounts, the AGP report and such other matters as the finance minister may prefer to it.

“In scrutinizing these matters, it will be the duty of the PAC to satisfy itself that the moneys shown in the accounts as having been disbursed were legally available for, and applicable to the service or purpose to which they have been applied or charged; that the expenditure conforms to the authority which governs it; and that every re-appropriation has been made in accordance with the under the finance ministry rules.

“It will be the duty of the PAC to examine the statement of accounts showing the income and expenditure of state corporations, trading and manufacturing schemes, concerns and projects together with the balance sheets and statements of profit and loss accounts which the president may have required to be prepared or are prepared under the statutory rules, regulating the financing of a particular corporation, trading or manufacturing scheme or concern or project and the concerned AGP report; to examine the statement of accounts showing the income and expenditure of autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies, the audit of which may be conducted by the AGP either under the directions of the president or under an act of parliament; and to consider the AGP report in cases where the president may have required him to conduct the audit of any receipt or to examine the accounts of stores and stocks.”

If any money has been spent on any service during a financial year in excess of the amount granted by the National Assembly for that purpose, the PAC will examine with reference to the facts of each case, the circumstances leading to such an excess and make suitable recommendations.

“The PAC report will be presented within a period of one year from the date on which reference was made to it by the National Assembly unless the legislature, on a motion being made, directs that the time for presentation of the report may be extended to a date specified in the motion. Extension in the time for the presentation of the report will be asked for before the expiry of the time allowed under the rule.”

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