PAC warns of action if NAB chairman does not turn up

ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal's refusal to appear before the Public Accounts Committee despite repeated summons, annoyed the members of the sub-committee who warned the panel will exercise its powers against him.

Convener of the Sub-Committee of the PAC Noor Alam Khan warned that if the chairman does not appear before the NAB committee within a week i.e. by November 29, then he will exercise his powers.

The meeting of the Sub-committee of the PAC was held on Monday with its Convener Noor Alam in the chair to examine the appropriation of NAB accounts from 2010-17 and its audit paras from 2011 to 2017 and those related to National Disaster Management Authority from 2015-18.

Expressing his annoyance over non-attendance of hairman NAB, who is also its Principal Accounts Officer, the convener of PAC subcommittee assured the chairman NAB that no personal attacks will be made against him but only replies to the audit objections about the audit paras will be sought. " The chairman NAB should not be afraid of coming to Parliament," he said. Alam said if the chairman cannot come, the principal accounts officer will have to appear before the PAC. “Let me know in written when the principal accounts officer would appear and if you do not, then I will use my powers,” he told the NAB officers attending the meeting. The officers sought some time for preparations.

Committee member Naveed Qamar said, “It was not acceptable to ignore the parliament.” Convener of the PAC Sub-committee Noor Alam Khan further said he would personally welcome the NAB chairman. Later, at the request of Khawaja Asif and Naveed Qamar, Noor Alam Khan, gave the NAB Principal Accounts Officer one week to appear before the committee.

Earlier, NAB officials told the committee that the DG looks after the affairs of NAB accounts and the NAB has sent a summary for appointment of a separate Principal Accounting Officer for the PAC. Syed Naveed Qamar said that PAC cannot proceed without the Principal Accounting Officer. The DG NAB sought three to four weeks period to find a solution to this issue. Khawaja Asif said they must be given proper time, otherwise PAC will take its own line of action.

The Sub-committee of PAC gave one week's time to NAB till November 29 and warned that if Principal Accounting Officer does not turn up before PAC, it will take future line of action. The PAC Sub-Committee deferred the examination of the audit objections of the NAB due to absence of Principal Accounting Officer.