Govt puts Shehbaz appointment as PAC chairman on hold

Sources say PM asks NA speaker to defer matter till Foreign Minister Qureshi’s return

ISLAMABAD: The ruling party is in a state of confusion on the question of appointing Shehbaz Sharif, the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, as head of the key Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as the premier on Friday deferred a decision on the issue till the return of Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi from abroad.

According to parliamentary sources, the issue of the appointment of PAC chairman came under discussion during a meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, with the latter proposing that Shehbaz be made the committee’s chairman in line with the parliamentary tradition.



However, the sources said, the PM told him to postpone the decision until Foreign Minister Qureshi returns from the US. The PM informed the speaker about reservations of senior party leaders on the appointment of Shehbaz as PAC chairman and asked him not to take any action.

One of the most powerful parliamentary bodies, the PAC is mandated to summon officials of federal government departments and seek explanation from them in connection with allegations of misappropriation. The PAC’s recommendations against a senior official are hard for the government to ignore.

Reportedly Prime Minister Khan is determined to have a lawmaker from treasury benches elevated as PAC chairman. However, both the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have launched separate efforts to clinch the key slot.

During the PM’s meeting with the speaker, business of the house was also discussed. The speaker complained about the absence of federal ministers from assembly sessions. The speaker told the PM that the treasury benches were facing opposition’s criticism due to this situation, according to the sources.



He said senior ministers should be activated to establish a working relationship with the opposition. The sources said the PM assured the speaker that the problems would be addressed. Later, Khan also called Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Ministry of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan in the meeting.

According to the sources, the meeting also discussed the parliamentary committee set up on the demand of opposition parties to probe into the allegations of rigging in the July 25 general election.

[WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM NEWS DESK]