Spouses, dependents included: PAC directs NAB official to bring assets details by tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) directed the high-ranking official of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to bring assets details of themselves, spouses, and dependents in the meeting scheduled for Thursday.

PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan stated this on Tuesday while examining the Audit Report of the Aviation Division for the year 2019-20. The proceedings of the committee were suspended after it was disclosed that no departmental accounts committee (DAC) met in the last four years, a precondition for examining audit reports in PAC.

Member Committee Saleem Mandviwalla suggested it was a joke that no meeting of the DAC was taken place by the previous secretary aviation and the present secretary also did not bother, despite taking charge four months back.

Suggesting taking punitive action against such principal accounting officers (PAOs) who failed to hold DAC meetings regularly, Mandviwala suggested that displeasure notes must be send to them, adding their non-compliance reports should also be sent to the Establishment Division.

Noor directed the NAB chairman to look into his own house and the PAC would welcome him. But, he said the PAC had the mandate of accountability of the government organisations, therefore, Director Generals (DGs) NAB should provide information pertaining to assets which were not shared outside the NAB secretariat.

He further said he would like to know the progress being made in various corruption cases pending investigation in the last three to four years. “The PAC recovered Rs1 trillion and how much the NAB recovered needs to be known,” he added.

He further sought a report from the chief secretary and inspector general of Police Punjab and federal secretary Ministry of Interior on the arrest of Haji Afzal Chan, father of Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader Nadeem Afzal Chan.

The committee condemned the arrest.

The chairman said the former lawmaker left politics 20 years back and had not been involved in any political or anti-state activities. It was unjust that he was harassed because of his son in politics. The matter should also be taken to the prime minister and the chief minister Punjab.

He maintained that the accused involved in burning down the Radio Pakistan building and damaging Qilla Bala Hissar should be apprehended by the KP police.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023