In a tussle between the Supreme Court and the National Assembly's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Assistant Registrar of the Supreme Court clarified to the Committee through a letter that registrars are not bound to appear before the committee.
According to the 24News HD TV channel, the letter has been sent by the Assistant Registrar of SC to the Committee with the approval of the Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday.
The SC assistant registrar explained to the committee in his letter that under sub-clause two of Article 81 of the Constitution, the expenditures of the Supreme Court are mandatory and 'charged' [a term used in annual budget allocation].
The letter of the SC assistant registrar also said that the National Assembly cannot vote on the SC budget and the Public Accounts Committee has no power to scrutinize the financial affairs of the Apex Court.
The letter also explained that the registrars are not bound to appear before the Public Accounts Committee.