PAC panels examine audit reports of PML-N tenure

ISLAMABAD:

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) panels have started examining the audit reports of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government’s tenure.

The committee inherited a backlog of seven years of audit reports – 2010-11 to 2016-17 – whereas three audit reports from 2017-18 to 2019-20 were referred to it recently.

The PAC constituted seven sub-committees for audit reports and a sub-committee for monitoring and implementation.

The sub-committees have started examining the audit reports concerning the period of the PML-N government. The panels scrutinising the reports are headed by members who are not associated with the PML-N.

Overall 2,084 grants and 29,750 paras, including backlog of previous PACs, are pending for examination by the PAC for which the committee and its panels held 225 meetings and examined 4,716 paras.

Out of the total, 41 paras had been referred to the NAB, 24 to FIA and 1,318 paras were sent for pursuance at the Departmental Accounts Committee (DAC) level.

It presented a special report which was adopted by the National Assembly for structural changes to improve the performance of the PAC, compliance of directions of the speaker to streamline it, reaffirming the audit jurisdiction of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) relating to authorities or bodies established by, or under the control of, the federal government and chalking out of plans of holding the DACs meetings.

The recovery of Rs300 billion on the directions of the PAC had also been verified by the AGP.

The PAC also addressed the issues relating to activation of 17 compliance cells of AGP throughout Pakistan; DACs meetings regularised through repeated directives; letter to the prime minister and requiring Secretaries Establishment and Cabinet to streamline it and adoption of 19 PAC reports through the National Assembly since 1985.

Annual finance accounts/financial statement of the government for the year 2017-18 was discussed in the PAC for the second time in its history on January 17, 2020.

It further deliberated on the discontinuation of Neelum-Jhelum surcharge on electricity bills; removed Indian content; improved poor signals of cellular companies; ban on plastic bags recommended to be imposed throughout the country; removal of one year restriction on new gas connections; posting transfers at same station beyond three years; Nadra was required for three years job rotation; Ministry of Interior to reimburse Rs650 to 30,600 candidates who could not appear in the written test before National Testing Service (NTS) due to prior physical screening.

The PAC also addressed the grievances of electricity consumers in rural areas including load shedding and others; simplification of the rules and reduction of the discretionary powers of the FBR officers; details of recoveries made from accused by NAB; report of construction on Sukkur-Multan Motorway; proper utilisation of Pakistan Boys Scouts Association’s Land; follow-up of various road infrastructure projects of the NHA; formulating rules for appointment of director general in Aviation Division and complaints of delay; raised the issue of the pipelines project of Inter-State Gas Systems (ISGS) with Russia and directed the audit officials to conduct a Performance Audit of the ISGS Company within one and a half month.