The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has decided against giving chairmanship of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif citing the pending NAB cases against him. Federal information minister Fawad Chaudhary has asked opposition benches to come up with another candidate but there are reports that government is considering appointing one of its own members of parliament to the post. This will be an unprecedented break from parliamentary tradition and a counterproductive move on PTI’s part.
Opposition parties have already vowed to boycott NA proceedings and withdraw from all standing committees including PAC if their nominee is not finalized. Parliament has already been unable to operate on optimum potential owing to toxic animosity between PTI and PML-N leaders. This was especially visible during inaugurating session and then in the budget debate in National as well as Punjab provincial assembly.
PAC has a crucial role in democratic system as it maintains transparency and oversight on government spending. It is the ultimate weapon against corruption in official projects and is vital in keeping budgetary practices in order. The post of chairman has historically been filled by an opposition member, usually the opposition leader in order to ensure an inclusive democracy. PTI government may be right to seek nomination of a less controversial parliamentarian from opposition benches but it must leave the matter to them and appoint any of the names they come up with.
Appointing a treasury MP as PAC chairman will be a politically damaging move especially for party that has anti-corruption on top of its agenda. PML-N too should withdraw nomination of Shehbaz Sharif until he is cleared from corruption charges by NAB because he will not be able to play an active role on PAC in current situation. Most importantly, all political parties especially the big two should resolve their disagreements in this regard so that smooth parliamentary functioning could be restored.
