Absence of department heads complicates PAC meetings

Punjab Assembly PAC members express concern over senior officials' absence from committee meetings

LAHROE:

A summons from the Public Accounts Committee is meant to bring those responsible for public spending to the table. But when senior bureaucrats are called to explain billions of rupees in audit objections, it is often their subordinates who turn up instead. The practice has raised an uncomfortable question for Punjab’s parliamentary watchdog: can accountability be enforced when those expected to answer are missing from the room?

Senior government officials are increasingly failing to attend meetings of the Punjab Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), sending junior officers in their place despite being summoned to respond to audit objections. The practice has prompted concern among committee members over the level of senior officials' participation in the parliamentary oversight process.

Instead of department secretaries and other responsible senior officials, Additional Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries and Section Officers are frequently attending meetings to represent their respective departments. The issue has raised questions about whether subordinate officers have the authority and relevant information to provide satisfactory answers to audit objections involving public funds.

Public Accounts Committee Chairman Iftikhar Chachar has also taken notice of the matter, maintaining that an officer specifically summoned for the examination of audit objections is required to attend the meeting. Officials who fail to appear may face reprimands from the committee.

Chachar said the situation had started improving since he began questioning officials about their absence and taking notice of the practice. Departments are now expected to inform the committee before a meeting if a summoned officer is outside the country or city.

Such officials are also required to provide evidence explaining their absence and inform the committee which officer will attend in their place to respond to members' questions.

The committee has expressed concern over the repeated appearance of subordinate officers in place of department heads and senior officials. While Additional Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries and Section Officers may represent their departments, their presence can create difficulties when matters require authoritative explanations, final decisions or access to complete departmental records.

The Public Accounts Committee is an important parliamentary forum responsible for examining government expenditure, audit objections and financial irregularities. The participation of senior departmental officials is considered essential for providing accurate responses, explaining financial discrepancies and ensuring timely decisions on audit matters.

The Punjab Assembly is currently examining audit objections relating to the financial year 2023-24, involving amounts reportedly running into billions of rupees. Officials from various government departments are being summoned to explain the objections and clarify discrepancies identified during the audit process.

The absence of senior officials can delay the examination and settlement of audit objections, particularly when junior officers lack the authority to make decisions or provide final explanations on behalf of their departments.

The committee chairman's emphasis on the personal attendance of summoned officers and the requirement to justify their absence reflects the importance being attached to departmental accountability.

Ensuring the participation of department secretaries and other responsible senior officials in PAC meetings remains important for strengthening parliamentary oversight, improving the resolution of audit objections and ensuring accountability for public expenditure.