Empowering the PAC

The Public Accounts Committee has failed to perform its task with any degree of success

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), ostensibly the most powerful parliamentary body supposedly empowered to hold accountable, on the basis of findings by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), those who embezzle public funds or indulge in mega corruption, has consistently failed to perform its task with any degree of success because of the in-built weaknesses within its legislative being and its organisational weaknesses. This was recently acknowledged by PAC members themselves while hearing a case brought before it by the AGP. Lack of trained manpower and the necessary secretarial paraphernalia make it impossible for the PAC to complete its job in a timely manner resulting in huge backlogs with the Committee invariably finding itself taking up in 2016 the irregularities committed, say in 2012. Since the AGP reports are first submitted at the end of each year to the president who then sends them to parliament, which then submits these to the PAC, this time-consuming procedure also adds to the delays. Delayed action, by almost four to five years, on the part of PAC often renders its rulings an exercise in futility.

More importantly, due to the in-built weaknesses in its legislative being, most of PAC’s rulings get circumvented in court as those held accountable escape the law by obtaining stay orders. To uphold parliamentary supremacy, it is, therefore, imperative that the PAC’s powers are expanded and its strength enlarged both legislative-wise and structurally to make it an effective accountability body. It is also necessary that the audit reports showing glaring irregularities are sent to the president without waiting until the year’s end. Also, there should be a distinction between the PAC’s domain and that of civil courts. Legislation is needed in this area to define parliamentary jurisdiction. In fact, not only the PAC but all other parliamentary committees need to be adequately empowered to enable them to keep effective executive oversight on governance, especially where public funds are involved.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2016.

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