ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday approved a motion for the formation of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Standing Committee on Law.
The motion was presented by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan.
Members of the PAC include Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, Khawaja Asif, Syed Naveed Qamar, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Hina Rabbani Khar, Ayaz Sadiq, Malik Aamir Dogar, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Rana Tanveer, Iqbal Muhammad Ali, Riaz Fatyana, Seemi Ezdi as well as other political leaders.
It might be mentioned that the name of Seemi Ezdi, sister of PTI stalwart Jahahgir Tareen, was included on the instructions of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Members of the Law and Justice Committee include Khawaja Saad Rafique, Nafisa Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Shahbaz Sharif, Rana Sanaullah, Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir Virk, Riaz Fatyana, Kishwar Zehra as well as other political leaders.
The development is a major breakthrough as the impasse between the government and opposition parties over the PAC chairmanship has hampered legislative proceedings since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) assumed power in August.
Moreover, Opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif will be elected PAC chairman today. After becoming PAC chairman, he will formally convene first meeting of the committee next week. The speaker has received names of the treasury and opposition parties for the committee.
Meanwhile, the federal government and opposition on Thursday reached consensus over the distribution of standing committee chairpersonship, sources said. The government and opposition, according to the agreed formula, will get the chairpersonship of 20 committees each.
In this regard, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Khurshid Shah met Shehbaz Sharif to discuss distribution of committees to the opposition benches.
Published in Daily Times, December 21st 2018.
