Govt refuses to give PAC chairmanship to Shehbaz Sharif

ISLAMABAD: The parliamentary meeting of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) decided against giving the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan, chose not to appoint president of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) for the coveted position of heading the PAC.

The PTI parliamentary leaders concluded that a non-partisan person would be selected to chair the committee after consultation with the Prime Minister while other parties will also be taken on-board regarding the decision.

The parliamentary party meeting of the ruling party began at the parliament house just before the National Assembly session.

The government has met severe criticism from the opposition parties for refusing to give the position to Shehbaz Sharif.

The PML-N had earlier threatened to withdraw all its members from the other committees in case it fails to gain chairmanship of the PAC.

Nevertheless, previously, the government representatives had clarified it multiple times that opposition parties had no right to ask for the chairmanship of the PAC.

It is pertinent to mention here that in previous political setups of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), a parliamentary tradition was set by allowing the opposition to hold the top position of the PAC.