ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: The newly constituted Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly has all the big names sitting in the legislature, but it’s still unclear who will head the most important standing committee of the house.

After the leader of the house and the leader of the opposition, the PAC chairman is the most important person since his job is to keep a close watch on expenditures of the federal government.

The PAC and other standing committees of the National Assembly were constituted in the third week of August, but they are still incomplete because of the pending elections of their chairpersons.

Under the rules, once constituted the assembly secretariat convenes the meeting of a committee for the election of its chairperson.

An assembly secretariat official told Dawn that theoretically it was a responsibility of the house to hold elections, but practically it was the ruling party which gave a go-ahead for the purpose. “After the ruling party decides on the names of chairpersons, the house will move to complete the formality,” said the official on condition of anonymity.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab told Dawn last week that a decision about standing committees’ heads would be taken after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s return from the United States.

But so far no decision has been taken.

Mr Aftab wasn’t available for his comments on Sunday.

If the PML-N leadership sticks to the Charter of Democracy signed with the PPP, the PAC chairmanship will go to the leader of the opposition.

Opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of the PML-N was made PAC chairman by the last PPP government.

When asked if the current ruling party would follow the tradition set by the previous government and whether he would head the PAC like his predecessor, Leader of Opposition Khursheed Ahmed Shah said: “The government hasn’t so far conveyed its decision to me. It’s still in the air.”

A PML-N lawmaker told Dawn that since the new PAC had to scrutinise expenditures made by the last PPP government, the PML-N was considering the option to keep the committee with it or give it to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, the second major opposition party in the house. “But nothing is certain yet,” he hastened to add.

Members of the new PAC are experienced politicians and almost all of them are favourites for the post. They are: Sheikh Rashid, the most sought-after guest by the hosts of political TV talk show; Sheikh Rohail Asghar of the PML-N, who is known for his aggressive attitude and will bring lots of hostility to the committee meetings; former deputy prime minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of the PML-Q who will use his experience as Punjab chief minister to grill bureaucrats appearing before the committee; Shafqat Mehmood of the PTI is a former bureaucrat and his short stints with the PPP and the PML-N will be helpful for the committee; and Syed Naveed Qamar and Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho of the PPP.

Initially there were reports that if the PPP was offered the PAC chairmanship, Ms Pechuho, a sister of former president Asif Ali Zardari, will head the committee, instead of Khursheed Ahmed Shah.

Assisted by the Auditor General of Pakistan, the PAC takes government functionaries found mismanaging public funds to task. Principal accounting officers (federal secretaries) appear before it and explain expense details of their departments.

The PAC can order mandatory recommendations against an official if found guilty of not following government rules in spending. It’s the only committee of the house which has a certain agenda to take up annual audit reports prepared by the AGP. The rest of the standing committees have no specific agenda until it is decided by their members.