Nisar quitting PAC: no decision by PML-N leadership yet

Deliberations are still afoot within Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) whether or not to assent the decision taken by Leader of the Opposition Nisar Ali Khan of quitting the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in protest against the appointment of Akhtar Buland Rana as Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP).
Sources in the party said that the PML-N leadership was indecisive with regard to the decision taken by Nisar to quit as head of the most powerful parliamentary watchdog body ie PAC, as the decision was opposed by Nawaz Sharif, while Shahbaz Sharif supported Nisar's stance that PAC should be free of any meddling.
However, sources said that deliberations were still underway within the party whether or not to allow Nisar to quit as chairman of the PAC. "If any consensus is reached in this regard, it would likely be announced at a press conference by Nawaz Sharif," said sources in the party, adding that any extreme decision would be taken after getting inputs from the parliamentary party meeting to be held on Monday before National Assembly session.
Sources said that Nisar recently held a meeting with party's leadership, Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, and informed them about his principled stance that he would not be able to work with a 'blue-eyed' AGP of the government at this juncture when the PAC is to take up record of first year accounts of the present government.
Nisar, who appeared last time before the media on August 13, announced that he had in principle, decided to quit as PAC chairman, but was stopped by his party's leadership to give time to the government for revisiting its decision pertaining to appointment of Akhtar as AGP. Nisar also told the party chief that he would not let the government mar the high powers of parliamentary panel like the National Audit Bureau under his chairmanship, sources added.
Meanwhile, sources in the PAC told Business Recorder that Nisar has informally disassociated himself with the affairs of the PAC since disbanding all the special and subcommittees of the PAC on August 25. On the other hand, sources said, in case of resignation by Nisar, PPP MNA Qamar Zaman Kaira was likely to be the one to replace him as new chairman of the parliamentary panel on the public accounts.