PPP may mediate on PAC standoff

Senior politican Qamar Zama Kaira proposes formationof a sub-committee

LAHORE: The Pakistan People Party (PPP) is unlikely to support the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) decision of boycotting assembly committees.

Instead, it will play the role of a mediator between the opposition and the government, two PML-N leaders told The Express Tribune on Thursday.

Qamar Zaman Kaira rejected the PML-N’s claim that the PPP had decided in principle to support the boycott decision, in case Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif was not made chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

“The PPP wants the assembly to remain functional at any cost,” he said, adding that the party would try and play a role of a moderator, “if it comes to that point”. He hoped the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) would show flexibility, and take the right decision of making Shehbaz the PAC chief.

It goes without saying that the PPP had set the trend of making the opposition leader chairman of PAC. The party did not like this tradition to discontinue but at the same time it would not want any deadlock in the National Assembly.



Kaira said that the party had proposed to the PTI to form a sub-committee under the PAC to audit revenue and expenditures of the previous PML-N government. He added the sub-committee could be headed by a PTI member, while Shehbaz Sharif headed the main committee to review audit of the sitting government’s financial affairs.

According to Kaira, the PPP suggestion addressed the PTI’s concern that Shehbaz Sharif should not examine his own his party government’s audit. This solution should be accepted,” he said. However, he warned that the PPP would not support any illogical move from either side.

Another PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor also ruled out of PPP’s boycott of the assembly committees. To his knowledge, no final decision has yet been taken but he said: “The PPP will not support any undemocratic step.”

According to a PPP source, the party will take the final decision on this matter after return of party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari from Gilgit.

The PML-N had claimed that they have the support of the PPP on the PAC chairmanship issue. Last month, party leader Ahsan Iqbal stated that the PPP had given assurance to the PML-N of boycotting the National Assemblies committees, if Shehbaz Sharif was not made the PAC chairman.

On the other hand Prime Minister Imran Khan has made it clear that the PTI would not let Shehbaz head the PAC, adding that the party wanted any other member from the PML-N, who was not close to Nawaz Sharif, to head committee.