ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has given the government and opposition one week to nominate candidates to fill the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman’s post, which has been lying vacant since the government came into power following the February 2024 elections.

The PAC is the among the most powerful parliamentary bodies, with the authority to summon virtually any individual or record from government departments in financial matters.

The office of PAC chairman traditionally goes to the leader of the opposition, or whoever the opposition nominates for the post. However, there is no legal compulsion in this regard.

Earlier, the PTI had nominated one of its leaders, Sher Afzal Marwat, as a candidate for the PAC’s chairmanship, but later replaced his name with another leader, the current party spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram.

However, sources say the party has not formally submitted its nomination to the National Assembly Secretariat.

Addressing a question during the Speaker’s Conference on Friday, the NA speaker warned that if no consensus is reached by next week, a meeting of the PAC will be convened, and the chairperson will be elected on the spot.

Speaker Sadiq reminded both sides that it was parliamentary tradition for the PAC chairmanship to go to the opposition, though a final decision in this regard would require an agreement between the government and opposition.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2024