PAC asks why officials making budget get five honoraria

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee on Wednesday directed a forensic audit of the National Assembly Secretariat of the last one year. The PAC wants to know about appointments, promotions and foreign visits made by MNAs and officers/officials of the National Assembly and also sought details of honorariums given to the National Assembly employees in five years.

The Public Accounts Committee held its meeting on Wednesday under Chairman Noor Alam Khan in which the appropriation accounts of National Assembly and Senate for the financial years 2018-19 and 2019-20 were examined and a briefing given on National Assembly and Senate Secretariats Employees Cooperative Housing Societies. Besides the special audit of the National Assembly and Senate, the public Accounts Committee also directed an audit of the Finance Division and Federal Board of Revenue.

Chairman PAC Noor Alam Khan questioned why five salaries honorarium to those who formulated the budget was being given. “If a minister is more generous, give honorarium from his own pocket,” he said adding that the country runs on the World Bank and IMF funds.

The committee directed the concerned to conduct an audit of all Ministries/ Divisions/ Departments regarding honorarium paid to their employees. Moreover, one honorarium would be allowed in future to all employees of both the secretariats.

Chairman PAC Noor Alam Khan said he wrote letters to the secretary of National Assembly but he did not give any reply. “According to which law, the National Assembly Secretariat has abolished the quota of each province in the jobs,” he asked. PAC Member Nuzhat Pathan said that now every person who got a job belonged to Swabi.

The committee showed its displeasure on a baseless news item published in newspapers regarding the current visit of a delegation of the National Assembly to Canada. The secretary, National Assembly, clarified that in the said visit, there were two MNAs, including Speaker National Assembly and three officials. Expenses of two officials were borne by the sponsors.

The Public Accounts Committee directed the deputy commissioner, Islamabad, to stop the use of name of National Assembly and Senate by the management of National Assembly and Senate Secretariat’s Employees Cooperative Societies. The committee directed to ensure the rights of registered members and to also ensure transparency in the affairs of societies.

The committee also directed the secretary, National Assembly Secretariat, to take action under the E&D rules against the woman official involved in fraud.

The committee observed that MNAs/senators were entitled for treatment from government hospitals and directed secretary, Cabinet Division, Establishment Division and M/o National Health Services Regulations and Coordination to direct autonomous bodies/corporations to get treatment of their employees from government hospitals instead of private hospitals.

The committee regularised two grants pertaining to the National Assembly and Senate Secretariats. Moreover, a briefing was given by the deputy commissioner, Islamabad, on National Assembly and Senate Secretariats Employees Cooperative Housing Societies.

The committee also directed the deputy commissioner, Islamabad, to investigate the encroachments of mosques, green belts and parks on behalf of societies. The committee showed displeasure over a letter written by the Senate Secretariat to the PAC on removal of glass walls established in the corridor in front of the office of chairman Senate, challenging the authority of the PAC to issue such directives and observed that in the PAC, there was representation of both houses.

Therefore, the committee reiterated its earlier directive and directed the secretary, Senate Secretariat, to remove the glass wall established in the corridor in front of the office of the chairman, Senate. The chairman PAC and senators also requested the chairman Senate to remove the glass walls and and stated previous directive of the PAC in above regard would be implemented.