‘Unconstitutional’ move : Senate’s call to oversee budget irks government
Panel sought details of finance ministry’s expenses.
Pakistan Senate. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
The government has questioned the Senate’s latest move to oversee the federal budgetary expenses and allocations, terming the step unconstitutional. The federal government contends the Constitution only allows the lower house of parliament to keep a check on the treasury.
The controversy surfaced on Thursday when the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue for the first time called the finance ministry and its attached departments to get an update on their budgetary expenses.
The panel proceedings also reveal National Bank President Iqbal Ashraf flouted the directions of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who had ordered the NBP to withdraw a court case and allow the federal auditors to perform the bank’s audit. The directions given out a few months ago remain unimplemented.
“The Constitution does not give such powers to the Senate or its standing committees,” said Dr Waqar Masood Khan, the federal finance secretary, while raising the issue during the committee meeting.
Only the National Assembly can look into the budgetary allocations and its utilisation and the Senate should respect this division of work, he added.
Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, the standing committee’s chairman, said the Senate had amended its rules in July 2015 aimed at allowing its standing committees to seek biannual updates on budget utilisation. He added he was not keen to undertake this assignment but the job had to be done as desired by Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani.
In the past couple of years, the Senate and its standing committees have been giving a tough time to the government, which lacks majority in the upper house. The Senate Standing Committee on Finance is working proactively, unlike the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, which often toes the official line.
The finance secretary, however, told the standing committee he did not have a problem in briefing the members but his only concern was the implementation of the Constitution in true letter and spirit.
Mandviwalla promised to take up the matter with the Senate chairman to convey the government’s reservations.
The panel on finance reviewed the budgetary allocations of the finance ministry, Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR), Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Central Directorates of National Savings (CDNS) and Pakistan Mint.
Except the finance ministry all other departments were found to be underfunded and facing problems in carrying out their duties due to lack of manpower.
Roughly 4,700 posts are vacant in the CGA and AGP departments due to a ban on recruitments.
Additional AGP Javaid Jehangir said the AGP for 2016-17 had sought Rs4.13 billion but the finance ministry indicated only Rs3.97 billion would be available.
Against the sanctioned strength of 5,387 people, he said only 3,707 employees were currently working with the AGP. Due to shortage of funds and staff, he said the AGP was not able to carry out the audit of all the government-funded departments.
Jehangir said only 11,790 government departments and institutions could be audited in the current fiscal of the over 40,000. This trend, he added, has been persisting for the last few years due to shortage of human resources and budget.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2016.
The government has questioned the Senate’s latest move to oversee the federal budgetary expenses and allocations, terming the step unconstitutional. The federal government contends the Constitution only allows the lower house of parliament to keep a check on the treasury.
The controversy surfaced on Thursday when the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue for the first time called the finance ministry and its attached departments to get an update on their budgetary expenses.
The panel proceedings also reveal National Bank President Iqbal Ashraf flouted the directions of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who had ordered the NBP to withdraw a court case and allow the federal auditors to perform the bank’s audit. The directions given out a few months ago remain unimplemented.
“The Constitution does not give such powers to the Senate or its standing committees,” said Dr Waqar Masood Khan, the federal finance secretary, while raising the issue during the committee meeting.
Only the National Assembly can look into the budgetary allocations and its utilisation and the Senate should respect this division of work, he added.
Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, the standing committee’s chairman, said the Senate had amended its rules in July 2015 aimed at allowing its standing committees to seek biannual updates on budget utilisation. He added he was not keen to undertake this assignment but the job had to be done as desired by Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani.
In the past couple of years, the Senate and its standing committees have been giving a tough time to the government, which lacks majority in the upper house. The Senate Standing Committee on Finance is working proactively, unlike the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, which often toes the official line.
The finance secretary, however, told the standing committee he did not have a problem in briefing the members but his only concern was the implementation of the Constitution in true letter and spirit.
Mandviwalla promised to take up the matter with the Senate chairman to convey the government’s reservations.
The panel on finance reviewed the budgetary allocations of the finance ministry, Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR), Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Central Directorates of National Savings (CDNS) and Pakistan Mint.
Except the finance ministry all other departments were found to be underfunded and facing problems in carrying out their duties due to lack of manpower.
Roughly 4,700 posts are vacant in the CGA and AGP departments due to a ban on recruitments.
Additional AGP Javaid Jehangir said the AGP for 2016-17 had sought Rs4.13 billion but the finance ministry indicated only Rs3.97 billion would be available.
Against the sanctioned strength of 5,387 people, he said only 3,707 employees were currently working with the AGP. Due to shortage of funds and staff, he said the AGP was not able to carry out the audit of all the government-funded departments.
Jehangir said only 11,790 government departments and institutions could be audited in the current fiscal of the over 40,000. This trend, he added, has been persisting for the last few years due to shortage of human resources and budget.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 1st, 2016.