PAC annoyed at non-appearance of NAB chief

ISLAMABAD: Expressing its strong annoyance over continued absence of Chairman National Accountability Bureau Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal despite repeated notices sent to him for attending the meeting, the Public Accounts Committee has decided to issue a notice to the NAB chairman and warned him that if he did not appear before the committee, then the PAC will exercise its powers, including issuing arrest warrants to bring him to the committee meeting.

The PAC meeting, held with Chairman Rana Tanveer Hussain in the chair, discussed the issue of default in convening the Departmental Accounting Committee meetings as reported by the Auditor General of Pakistan by the Prime Minister's Secretariat, President Secretariat, NAB, Election Commission of Pakistan and the Ministry of Human rights. The PAC has summoned the NAB chairman in its previous meeting with regard to the details of depositing the recovered amount of Rs821 billion. PAC Chairman Rana Tanveer Hussain remarked that all the provided powers could be utilised to bring the NAB chairman to the PAC meeting. The PAC chairman directed the DG NAB to call the NAB chairman and tell him that the PAC was waiting for him and should also tell him that he should ensure his presence in the meeting next week. Director General NAB Hussain Ahmed told the PAC that the chairman NAB was not able to attend the meeting due to a meeting of the missing persons in Lahore.

To a query from the Audit Department regarding the audit of NAB accounts of last year, the audit officials told the committee that the audit of the NAB recoveries of the last one year will be completed within a few days. The Auditor General of Pakistan told the PAC that the amount recovered by the UK’s National Crime Agency was also audited. The PAC had also expressed its annoyance over the absence of the secretary to the Prime Minister's Office, the secretary to the President of the Secretariat and the chairman NAB. The PAC chairman directs the secretary Human Rights Commission to conduct four Departmental Accounting Committee meetings in a month.

Meanwhile, the Public Accounts Committee took notice of the sale of substandard items at the Utility Stores and the sale of substandard cars in the country and summoned the Ministry of Industry and Production for a briefing. The PAC meeting was held with the chair of its Chairman Rana Tanveer Hussain on Wednesday at the Parliament House.

During the meeting, the committee members also raised the issue of sale of substandard items at Utility Stores and substandard vehicles in the country and PAC member Noor Alam Khan said that Rs6 lakh to Rs8 lakh 'own' was being taken on vehicles but vehicles were not provided on time and there was a need to call the Ministry of Industries and Production.

Endorsing the point raised by Noor Alam Khan, Khawaja Asif said looting by three car companies was going on and even today, airbags of cars never opened. Noor Alam Khan said that DAP is being sold at Rs 9,200 and sometimes stones are found in sacks. Committee member Khawaja Shiraz Mahmood said that DAP of Rs5,000 is being sold for Rs10,000 and no one is to check it.

Expressing annoyance over not holding the Departmental Accounting Committee meetings, Chairman PAC Rana Tanveer Hussain said in two and a half years he has repeatedly asked for DAC and letters have also been written but the Principal Accounting Officers did not bother and it seems that they wanted they were summoned. He directed the Principal Accounting Officers to hold one meeting in every two months. "There are some principal accounting officers who hold four meetings in a month." Noor Alam Khan remarked that the Principal Accounting Officers did not attend the PACs, then how will they hold DACs. “Some institutions do not respect the Constitution while some heads of institutions never come to attend the PAC meetings. Lieutenant generals come but the chairman NAB did not come. I do not know why he does not come, why he does not abide by the Constitution,” he said.