ISLAMABAD, December 11: All opposition parties in the National Assembly have reaffirmed their demand that the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) should be given to the Leader of the opposition, PML-N President Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif announced on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the joint opposition leadership, Shahbaz Sharif said the opposition leaders had once again concluded that the opposition leader should become the PAC chairman, “which has been the tradition for the past 10 years”.
Accompanied by PPP and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leaders, Shahbaz said the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had been giving
the “lame excuse” that he, being the PML-N head, could not preside over the audit review of matters pertaining to his party’s previous government. Shahbaz said the opposition parties had devised an alternative to avoid this possible conflict of interest: He (Shahbaz) can be nominated as the PAC chairman, but he will not head meetings in which audit paras of the previous PML-N government are scrutinised. Instead, a sub-committee can be formed to examine matters related to the previous administration, and the PTI can nominate its own chairman for the sub-committee, Shahbaz added. “[But] the opposition has made it clear that the PAC chairman will be the opposition leader,” the PML-N president said, adding that he was thankful to the opposition parties for reposing their confidence in him through their “rightful stand”. “The opposition has made it clear that the PAC chairman should be the leader of the opposition,” said Shahbaz Sharif. He further said that the opposition’s stance is based on truth, whereas, the government leaders are avoiding the issue. – Sabah
