ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday took an exception to a petition filed by the acting chief of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) challenging the apex parliamentary body’s directives in the high court as it ordered the acting head of NAB and Lahore’s director general again to appear before the committee today.

In case of their failure to appear before the accountability committee, police have been asked to intervene and produce them before the accounts committee, as per the directives issued by PAC Chairman Noor Alam Khan during a meeting.

The PAC met at the Parliament House to examine the audit paras of the Ministry Of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB).

As the meeting started, Mr Khan was informed that Zahir Shah, acting NAB chief, had approached the high court against PAC directives that had ordered the re-opening of the graft cases against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leadership as well as a probe into sexual harassment allegations against former NAB chief.

Summons acting NAB chief, DG today; seeks FIA probe against award of exclusive contract to TV channel

Noor Alam Khan pointed out that instead of implementing the PAC directives, the acting chairman went to a court against the PAC.

Other PAC members, including Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed and Nisar Cheema, remarked that challenging the writ of PAC was “tantamount to contempt of parliament”.

NAB plea in IHC

In the petition filed before the IHC, acting chairman Zahir Shah contended that the PAC had gone beyond its jurisdiction by investigating the allegations of sexual harassment against former NAB chairman Javed Iqbal and issuing directives for re-opening of closed inquiries against PTI leaders.

The PAC can only take up the audit reports of the ministries and departments of the federal government, it said, adding that the matters in question were sub judice; hence the PAC could not intervene in the judicial domain.

Moreover, the petition pointed out that the incumbent PAC chairman was facing a NAB inquiry and being an accused, he lacked the moral authority to preside over the meetings related to the bureau. It requested the IHC to set aside the PAC directives issued on July 7.

ARY ON PAC radar

The PAC sought a report from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the information ministry regarding a decision to grant exclusive sports rights to ARY. Information Secretary Shahera Shahid informed that the matter had been referred to the FIA for further probe after irregularities were found in the award of the contract.

An FIA additional director expressed ignorance about the said inquiry. He, however, assured the committee of sharing details in the next meeting.

Sexual harassment allegations

On July 7, a woman named Tayyaba Gul stunned the PAC with her disclosure on oath that she was not only treated inhumanly and by former NAB chairman Javed Iqbal and other top officials of the accountability bureau but the PM Office also secured personal gains by blackmailing NAB hierarchy by misusing a video of the then-NAB chief filmed by her.

Testifying before the PAC, Tayyaba Gul stated that former principal secretary Azam Khan and former special assistant to the prime minister Tahir A. Khan invited her for a meeting after she lodged a complaint on Prime Minister’s Citizen Portal.

In the complaint, she had accused the ex-NAB chairman of sexual harassment and also attached some screenshots from secretly recorded footage.

She told the PAC that Azam Khan and Tahir Khan asked for the video and assured her of taking action against Javed Iqbal. However, the video was aired on Khan’s television channel later on.

Ms Gul accused the PM Office of using this video to pressurise Iqbal after which the accountability bureau inquiries against PTI leaders were dropped.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2022