PAC hints at issuing warrant for SC registrar

Directs freezing pensions of people who participated in May 9 protests

ISLAMABAD:

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said it may issue arrest warrants against the Supreme Court registrar who has failed to appear before the parliament’s accountability body despite multiple summons.

The committee on Tuesday held a meeting to review the financial affairs of the top court from the fiscal year 2010-11 to 2020-21. During the meeting, PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan observed that the principal accounting officer of the SC was not present in the meeting.

PAC member Rohale Asghar asked who would respond to the supplementary grants in the absence of the SC's principal accounting officer. He suggested reducing the court’s supplementary grants.

Khan noted that the PAC could not take any action outside the law. Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan told PAC that a full court had decided that the SC registrar would not appear before the committee.

The PAC chairman asked the reason behind the decision, inquiring if it was not against the law.

The AGP told PAC that it was not written anywhere in that decision that the registrar would not provide the required information to the committee. Khan observed that when a former chief justice of Pakistan had opened a dam funds account, it was said that it would be audited.

“We are not asking for anything illegal,” he added.

The AGP said whatever money the apex court spent was audited by the Auditor General of Pakistan. He said it was the responsibility of PAC to ask for the details and the SC registrar must provide these details to the committee.

The PAC chairman said the SC registrar was accountable for the audit paras. During the meeting, details of the salaries of the president, prime minister, judges and ministers were presented before PAC on its request.

Auditor General Ajmal Gondal told PAC that all government institutions were fully audited. Asghar noted that details of the salaries had been provided but there were no details about allowances.

Khan said PAC had not sought the details of the SC judges, but the salaries and facilities availed by everyone. PAC member Wajiha Qamar observed that Pakistani courts were ranked fifth out of six regionally and globally at number 129.

Noor Alam Khan inquired what would the other institutions do when the one responsible for justice was resorting to these measures. He said the committee would  provide all this information to the media.

Asghar maintained that they paid the rent and electricity bill of the government lodges they lived in.

The PAC chairman said he would seek a legal opinion on the SC registrar’s letter in which he had refused to attend the committee’s meeting.

He said the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) was also unwilling to have its audit carried out.

Dr Malik Mukhtar, who was present in the meeting, said first it should be determined whether or not former chief justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar had the authority to open a special account.

Khan said he had summoned the SC registrar to the meeting many times and now he would have his warrant issued. The AGP told the PAC chairman that before he summoned the SC registrar, the latter should be informed as to why he was being called by the committee.

He said the SC registrar should be told in advance about the information PAC required from him and the answers it wanted from him. Khan said if the SC registrar did not appear before PAC in its next meeting on May 23, the committee would issue a warrant for him.

He said this issue would also be raised in the National Assembly.

The PAC chairman further said the SBP governor should also direct the central bank to provide complete information to the audit authorities. He condemned the violence on May 9 triggered by the arrest of PTI chairman and deposed premier Imran Khan.

He directed the federal and provincial governments to freeze the pensions of the retired people, who participated in the May 9 protests.

PAC member Mushahid Hussain Sayed asked how PAC could order to stop someone’s pension.

Khan replied that this instruction was only for those who participated in anti-state activities. “Young people, who were involved in these actions, should not be given government jobs,” he added.