The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has directed the registrar of the Supreme Court to appear before the accountability body next month for scrutiny of the apex court’s pending grants involving billons of rupees.
The move came after the parliamentary committee received “positive signals” from the apex court. If the Supreme Court decides to send its official in front of the PAC, it will bring to an end a six-year-old standoff between the judiciary and the PAC over scrutiny of the latter’s accounts.
In 2006, the apex court had rejected a similar demand by the PAC. It was in December 2004 that the registrar of the Supreme Court had last appeared before the committee and the body settled the apex court’s appropriation of accounts for the year 1995-96, according to audit department documents.
It was revealed that, due to Supreme Court’s refusal, the PAC has not audited accounts containing grants involving Rs3.3 billion pertaining to the last decade.
In light of the Constitution and after studying the legal opinions given by eminent lawyers and the Supreme Court Bar Association, the PAC decided on Tuesday that the Registrar will have to appear before the PAC, the body’s Chairman Nadeem Afaz Chan revealed.
Officials, privy to the development, told The Express Tribune that the PAC chairman received a message that “someone may appear” to discuss the appropriation of accounts of the apex court.
The seeming change of heart on part of the apex court seems to be the outcome of a background check. Under the rules, the Principal Accounting Officer of every department and institution (in this case the Registrar) is answerable to the Parliament’s accountability body to discuss their accounts and audit objections, if any.
The auditor general of Pakistan (AGP) had recently briefed the PAC that no audit objections had been framed against the apex court since all the objections were settled at the departmental accounts committee level and only the appropriation of accounts were outstanding.
The PAC took opinions from all the relevant quarters on the subject and Justice (retd) Shabbar Rizvi went so far as to say that “the SC registrar was violating the Constitution by not appearing before the PAC”.
Sub-committees’ controversy
While at one hand the PAC seems to be taking a tough stance against the judiciary, on the other hand it appears that the body is willing to compromise on other matters because of government pressure.
PAC Chairman Chan on Tuesday also issued another directive that all the sub-committees of the PAC would stand dissolved from November 30 of this month. He said that the issues being discussed in these committees have to be rounded up or will be transferred to the main PAC committee from next month automatically.
Two PAC members, asking not to be named, said that the PAC chairman was under pressure from the Presidency and pharmaceutical lobbies and their sympathisers in the government circles.
A PAC sub-committee headed by Sardar Ayaz Sadiq is probing illegal appointments in a state-owned entity, National Engineering Services Pakistan, including appointment of its chairperson Asad Khan.
PAC members alleged that Khan is affiliated with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and a key official in the Presidency is making hectic calls to committee members to stop investigations in the matter. An inter-departmental inquiry committee has already given its findings that Khan used his powers “beyond permissible limits.”
The sub-committee has included the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the inquiry committee and wants to submit its findings soon.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 28th, 2012.
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