AGP's absence cited: PAC puts off meeting on Kashmir, G-B affairs

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Tuesday postponed its meeting on Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan affairs at the eleventh hour for unknown reasons. Sources said the reason may be absence of Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) Akhtar Buland Rana. The PAC had many a time expressed annoyance over the continued absence of the AGP from the proceedings of the committee despite directive by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) to attend the meeting, sources said.
Khurshid Shah adjourned the PAC meeting several times, deepening the row that has paralysed the working of the accountability body for last many months. "It is very unfortunate that the working of the constitutional body remained suspended for last many months due to refusal of AGP Akhtar Buland Rana to attend the meetings," said Khurshid in previous meetings of the PAC.
The PAC was convened under the chairmanship of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Khursheed Shah of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The meeting was scheduled to discuss the audit objections against the expenditure incurred by ministries from 2008-09 to 2013-14 - the years when the PPP was at the helm of affairs.
The committee observed that it was a violation of the directives of the SJC and the council should take notice.
The SJC, the judicial body headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, is hearing a reference against alleged corrupt practices of AGP Rana.
The PAC has sent a reference through Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq after one of its sub-committees found that Rana drew excessive salary from the exchequer. Under the constitution, the AGP can only be removed by the SJC in a manner prescribed to remove a judge of the Supreme Court.
The row between Shah and Rana started on August 4 when AGP Akhtar Buland Rana termed the composition of the PAC against the spirit of democracy and refused to participate in future meetings of the committee meant for spending oversight.
After that Rana issued a notification barring the department to attend the PAC proceedings. However, he withdrew the notification on the directions of the SJC that asked Rana not to create hindrances in the working of PAC.