PAC members irked by NAB chairman’s absence despite summons

Members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), a National Assembly (NA) body, flared up on Wednesday when National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Chairman Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal failed to appear at its meeting despite being summoned, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

Rana Tanveer Hussain of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chaired the PAC meeting.  

NA body members questioned whether the NAB chairman considered himself to be above the law that he did not show up. 

Member of National Assembly (MNA) Ayaz Sadiq said if the chairman and secretary were not interested in attending the meetings, it is better that we resign. “Justice (r) Javed Iqbal holds everybody accountable, but when he is asked to appear to answer questions, he disappears,” Rana Tanveer said, and added that when you spend money from the national exchequer, you are answerable for that. 

The PAC members were of the view that if the NAB chairman was not interested in giving explanations, then he should appoint somebody else as principal accounting officer. “Wake up Mr chairman, and clear yourself,” said PAC Chairman Rana Tanveer.

Members of the PAC, on the occasion, expressed annoyance over failure on the part of different ministries to hold monthly Accounts Department meetings. 

The Public Accounts Committee also expelled the special secretary establishment from the meeting when it learned that the secretary establishment had not showed up.

Similarly, the committee also expressed its displeasure over the absence of the secretary Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) so much so that it asked the commission director general and director finance to leave the meeting. 

It decided to write letters to the absentees to convey its annoyance.   

Reporter Usman Khan