PAC summons Supreme Court registrar, warns of issuing warrants

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has once again summoned Supreme Court’s (SC) registrar on May 16 as it decided to conduct an audit of the apex court from 2010-2021, ARY News reported.

In the meeting on Wednesday, PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan stated that the committee had decided to conduct an audit of the Supreme Court (SC) from 2010-11 to 2020-21.

During the meeting, Noor Alam Khan also warned of issuing arrest warrants if the registrar failed to appear before the committee. In response to a question, Khan assured that he will summon the registrar again if the court orders a stay on the warrants.

The PAC chairman asked the auditor general to present a comparative observation report on the salaries and privileges received by the president, prime minister, federal ministers, members of parliament, and chief justice.

Meanwhile, the committee has also sought record of £190 million from the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency.

This is not the first time that the PAC has attempted to look into the SC’s accounts. In April 2023, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) summoned the Supreme Court’s registrar for not conducting an audit of the court’s financial records.

Noor Alam Khan observed that the top court was not having its financial records audited for the past 10 years.

In March 2023, the PAC sought a record of the Supreme Court judges’ salary, perks and privileges within a month.

Noor Khan asked why the Auditor General of Pakistan failed in presenting a report related to SC judges’ salary, perks, and privileges. The report was to be submitted in today’s meeting, Alam maintained.

The chairman said the masses should know what salary, perks and privileges are being enjoyed by the judges of the Supreme Court. Khan ordered the AGP to complete an audit of the Supreme Court within 30 days and present the report.

Khawaja Asif demands accountability of judges

A day earlier, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif strongly criticised the judiciary for ‘interfering in political matters’, demanding accountability of incumbent and former judges.

Speaking on the National Assembly (NA) floor, the defence minister accused the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan of conspiracy, saying that a ‘special committee should be constituted to investigate the cases from prosecution of former premier Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto till date’.

Khawaja Asif lambasted the Supreme Court for ordering the ‘political parties to negotiate’, saying that it should first end there differences instead of ordering them.

“The practice of overthrowing a prime minister should end,” he maintained, pointing out the prosecutions of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif. “We [the House] should defend our Prime Minister, whatever party he may belong to,” he added.

“We were held accountable several times, now its time to hold the judiciary accountable,” he said, claiming that there were some people who get lifetime vehicles, guards and phone bills along with pension.