Accountability claims hollow if govt refuses PAC chair to opposition: Rabbani

Pakistan Peoples Party lawmaker Hina Rabbani Khar on Tuesday slammed the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for reluctance on giving the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee to the opposition.

Speaking in the National Assembly, Khar said the government can’t make tall claims about accountability while refusing the opposition to head the committee, which, among other tasks, is authorised to examine Auditor General’s reports for ministries, divisions, corporations, etc.

The former foreign minister also stated that the government has hiked up gas and electricity prices but claims that it won’t affect the poor. “This is a lie,” she said.

Why doesn’t Finance Minister Asad Umar, who used to criticise tax hikes, not decrease taxes now, Khar asked.

Prior to that, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz threatened to withdraw all its members from other committees if it failed to gain chairmanship.

On September 25, a session of the PML-N had decided to name party President Shehbaz Sharif as its candidate for chairman PAC.

PTI meanwhile is not in the favour of someone from the opposition holding the chairmanship.