Balochistan Point Voice of Nation
Quetta – Majid Khan Achakzai, member of Provincial Assembly from Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) has been appointed as chairman of Public accounts committee.
Public accounts committee is one of the most important Parliamentary Committees as it holds government accountable for all sorts of expenditures that it has made.
Majid Khan Achakzai
In Aftermath of 18th amendment, it was agreed by all political parties that chair of Public accounts committee would be given to opposition to ensure check and balance on government.
Incumbent Balochistan government has departed form the trend and appointed a member of ruling party as chairman of Public accounts committee.
In National Assembly, opposition leader Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah is the chairman of Public accounts committee. Similarly, in Punjab Assembly opposition leader Mian Mehmood-ur-Rashid is the chairman of Public accounts committee.
However, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) governments have also departed from the practice of giving opposition the chair of Public accounts committee. Asad Qaiser of PTI, who is also speaker, is chairman of Public accounts committee in KP. In Sindh assembly Saleem Raza Jalbani of PPP is chairman of Public accounts committee.
Rather than following federal government and Punjab government, Balochistan sided with Sindh and KP and appointed one of its own MPAs as chairman of Public accounts committee.
“Government has effectively blocked parliamentary transparency and oversight by appointing a ruling coalition member as chairman of Public accounts committee,” an analyst told The Balochistan Point.
Staff Report
Published in The Balochistan Point on June 13, 2015
