Departments asked to finalise TORs of separating Account & Audit cadres in 3-month

Senate Standing Committee on Finance Wednesday gave three months time to Finance Division, Establishment Division, Law Division, AGP and CGA for holding consultations and finalization of terms of references (TORs) on the separation of cadres of Account and Audit.
A meeting of the committee presided over by Senator Saleem Mandviwala was briefed by the Auditor General of Pakistan, additional secretary Finance Division and additional secretary Establishment Division that separation of cadres was neither intention of the summary nor the directives of the Prime Ministers Office. All that Prime Minister has directed was resolution of matter through consultation.
Finance Division told the committee that in 2012 the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) informed that posting/transfer in CGA Organization are being done by the office of AGP without prior consultation and directed all the Pakistan Audit and Accounts Services Officers working in CGA Organization not to comply with the instructions of CGA.
Finance Division further added that office of CGA moved a summary for then prime minister, which was endorsed by Finance Division on 30.08.2012 proposing, the Establishment Division may undertake an exercise separating the cadres of Accounts and Audit in line with the spirit of separation of two functions as envisaged under two Ordinances promulgated in 2001.
The meeting was informed that on 11.02.2013, the then prime minister approved the proposal and concurrently secretary finance issued letter to secretary establishment conveying the approval of the prime minister to undertake a detailed exercise for separating the cadres of accounts and audit.
The Establishment Division forwarded draft office memoranda for bifurcation of Pakistan audit and account services and creation of new occupational services namely Accounts Service of Pakistan and Audit Service of Pakistan for views/comments of Finance Division. The views/comments of Finance Division on draft office memoranda were accordingly forwarded to Establishment Division on 19.03.2015. In addition, a number of meetings on the subject at different levels of all stakeholders had taken place in Establishment Division on the issue. A meeting of all stakeholders - Finance Division, Establishment Division, office of AGP, office of CGA - was held in Finance Division on 06-09-2017, under the chairmanship of finance secretary to discuss separation of accounts and audit service.
The meeting was told that office of AGP and CGA gave their viewpoints. Both offices were of the view that they have already evolved a mechanism of posting/transfer of officers and as such there is no need of separating of Pakistan Audit and Accounts Service.
After detailed deliberations, it was decided in the meeting that office of AGP and office of CGA will sit together and formulate a detailed TORs on the issue and submit them to Finance Division along with its legal and constitutional repercussions associated with the issue.
After receipt of TORs, the next meeting will be called wherein Law & Justice Division will also be invited to deliberate upon the constitutional and legal aspect of bifurcation and creating two separate cadres of accounts and audit.