PMIC gets 4pc boost in budget

PMIC budget not specified in the PM Office’s annual budget amounting to Rs916 million

ISLAMABAD: Accountability arm of the Prime Minister Office, the Prime Minister’s Inspection Commission (PMIC), witnessed a slight increase of almost four per cent in its annual budget -- with an allocation of Rs67.5 million for the upcoming financial year against Rs65 million it received in the outgoing fiscal year.

Although an amount of Rs48.4 million is allocated for ‘employees-related expenses’ in the new budget, as much as Rs25.72 million is allocated under the head of ‘pay’ and Rs22.66 million for ‘allowances’.



Separate allocations had also been made for ‘employees-related expenses’ (Rs 44.90 million), pay (Rs 22.53 million) and allowances (Rs 22.36 million) in the outgoing fiscal year.

Even though the commission works under the direct administrative control of the PM Office, its budget is not specified in the PM Office’s annual budget amounting to Rs916 million.

The PMIC is tasked with monitoring the functioning of all federal government institutions for ensuring merit and transparency. But the commission itself had been marred by controversies for allegedly carrying out politically-motivated inquiries against senior leaders of rival political parties.

There are many who don’t see a valid justification for an office like the PMIC in the presence of departments like the FIA, the NAB, federal and provincial ombudsmen and tax ombudsman.

“In the presence of several government departments working to redress public grievances, I don’t see any reason for the existence of offices such as the PM’s Inspection Commission,” former bureaucrat Kunwar Dilshad told The Express Tribune.



“It is really surprising that separate allocations under multiple heads are needlessly made in the commission’s budget. The commission is an extra burden on the national exchequer. But it is in the vested interest of political governments to keep offices like PMIC intact instead of disbanding them just to deter and coerce their political opponents.”

The post of the PMIC chairman remained vacant for several months after the retirement of Amir Muhammad Khan Marwat in November last year. Later, the government quietly appointed Pervaiz Rathore, a former police officer, as chairman.

The PMIC chairman is directly appointed by the PM.