Daily Times

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday vowed to not let Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif become the chairman of the Public Account Committee (PAC) at any cost.

“We will not be blackmailed by the opposition,” the premier said while addressing a meeting of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) parliamentary board.

The meeting discussed in detail the party’s strategy over opposition’s alliance and their protest over a number of issues.

“An impartial person will be selected for the post after consultation, even if this requires forming committees,” the PM said.

Those in attendance decided to continue the process of accountability in national institutions.

According to sources, the government is willing to accommodate any opposition candidate as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), even if he or she belongs to PML-N, except its chief Shehbaz Sharif and his close aides.

Those who are being considered close associates of either former prime minister Nawaz Sharif or Shehbaz included Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal.

Separately, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said the opposition should give another name for the chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) instead of Shehbaz Sharif.

Talking to media persons after the meeting of PTI parliamentary committee), he said: “Shehbaz Sharif’s name for the PAC chairman was controversial. “We have suggested the name of Syed Fakhar Imam and the opposition should give some other name.”

The minister said that it was the established principle that projects of opposition would be audited by the government and the ones launched by the latter would be audited by the former. “The issue is how Shehbaz Sharif can do audit of Nawaz Sharif.”

Published in Daily Times, October 30^th 2018.