'A minister can’t be appointed as a PAC member'

Govt has not yet requested speaker to replace Riaz Fatyana with Sheikh Rashid

ISLAMABAD: The government had announced to appoint Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid as a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) but the parliamentary traditions do not allow any minister to be appointed as a member of the PAC or any other standing committee of the National Assembly.

“There is no tradition of any federal minister becoming a part of any standing committee including the PAC. The federal ministers only participate in meetings related to the committees of their ministries,” said an MNA while requesting anonymity.

During the tenure of the last Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, a PAC member from the PML-N, Riaz Pirzada, was made a federal minister.  However, when Pirzada had arrived to attend a PAC meeting after taking charge, he was informed by the former PAC chairman, Khursheed Shah, that he could not attend the meeting. Pirzada had later tendered his resignation from the PAC.

Sources said the NA speaker has informed the government about this parliamentary tradition and the federal government has now taken a U-turn on the matter. Earlier, there were reports that Rashid will be appointed in place of the ruling Pakistan Tehreee-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Riaz Fatyana.

However, Fatyana on Monday actively participated in the PAC meeting.

The sources said the PTI has not yet sent a written request to the speaker to make Sheikh Rashid a member of the PAC. Even the PTI chief whip Amir Dogar said he is unaware of any such request.

Speaking to the media after the PAC meeting, Dogar said he would be able to give any information in this regard after meeting with the speaker today (Tuesday).

He said the government has decided to summon a meeting of the National Assembly on February 18. He said the speaker has requested the opposition to take back its requisition.