ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has exempted the appearance of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman former Justice Javed Iqbal in the meeting scheduled to be held Wednesday (today) for scrutiny of appropriations of accounts of the bureau, sources said.

In a surprise move, chairman PAC Rana Tanvir Hussain has allowed Director General (HQ) NAB to appear before the committee to respond to audit objections raised by Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP).

According to the agenda of the meeting, the committee will examine appropriation accounts for the year 2018-19 (grant no 81, NAB) and briefing on total recovery made by the NAB, which shall include the following with details of cash recoveries/ book adjustments or any other mode etc from politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen, book adjustments, cash recovery, housing societies, from other agencies such as the FBR and customs etc, total embezzled amount from government treasury and private entities/ individuals and from banks.

Earlier, the PAC notice served on Former Justice Javed Iqbal directed him to appear before the committee on January 26, 2022 with complete detail of appropriation of the NAB accounts, including recoveries made so far from the accused in terms of cash, moveable and immoveable assets.

Sources said that the NAB chairman will not appear in person before the committee.

Earlier, the NAB Secretariat had used the prime minister’s letter asking chairman NAB to stay away from the PAC, a member of the committee had told Business Recorder on condition of anonymity.

In the past, the NAB chairman had declined to appear before the committee and sent a director general to present NAB case before the committee which has refused to take up the NAB cases. That development had offended the PAC members who refused to hear the director general and postponed the hearing.

After three weeks, the NAB chairman has been summoned again by the PAC. The PAC is the highest parliamentary forum for scrutiny of the accounts of all those departments whose employees are paid salaries from public exchequer.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022