PAC facing increasing non-compliance of orders

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) seems to be losing its grip and is facing serious issues in implementation of orders owing to rifts among members as well as between the body and the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP), Pakistan Today learnt through reliable sources.
According to details, PAC Chairman Nadeem Afzal Gondal is facing multiple issues within the body’s ranks which are affecting its progress and specifically the implementation of its directions.
A source close to the PAC said there was a strong clash between Gondal and AGP Buland Akhtar Rana.
On the recent issue relating to the Supreme Court’s (SC) accounts, Rana maintained that SC’s accounts were being audited annually without hindrance while the PAC chief seemed to believe that the AGP wanted to give the apex court a clean chit on the matter.
PAC summoning the detailed departmental audited accounts and records of the SC is reflective of the committee’s lack of confidence in the AGP.
This rift between the AGP and PAC chief, which is not something new, started when Rana following his appointment as AGP did not participate in PAC meetings for a long time despite multiple directions.
Meanwhile, some other institutions and ministries are also not ready to abide by the directions being issued by the accounts body, and are in non-compliance with PAC directions regarding their accounts. The number of such ministries and departments is growing with time which is an alarming situation for the parliamentary accounts committee.
A few weeks earlier, the presidency, PM House and SC registrar had been served notices asking them to appear before the committee. SC registrar had refused appearing before the committee challenging the mandate of the body.
Around sixteen government and semi-government organisations including Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, National Press Trust, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, Pakistan Alleviation Fund, Pakistan Ordinance Factories Welfare Trust, National Bank of Pakistan, Virtual University Lahore, National Database and Registration Authority, Pakistan Telecommunications Limited, Pak-China Investment Company, Defense Housing Authority and Frontier Works Organisation were among those institutions who strongly resisted the audit of their financial accounts.
Other departments that were issued various directions by the body have also avoided following its orders. Sindh housing ministry, for example, avoided submitting details of the allotment of plots to its employees for five months.