LAHORE, May 28: The National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) has agreed to allow the Controller General of Accounts to prepare public accounts for a four-year transition period (under the CGA ordinance 2001).

This was stated by Auditor-General of Pakistan Manzoor Husain while speaking at a function arranged here on Tuesday on the passing out of accounts group probationers. He said after the passage of the transition period, the merits and demerits of the system would be examined and a decision would be taken in this respect.

The decision means that the issue of “provincialization” of the accounts has effectively been suppressed for at least four years and all district accounts officers (DAOs) in the provinces would work under the operational and administrative control of the provincial accountant generals. However, the modalities of transfer of administrative control of the DAOs to the AGs are yet to be detailed and finalized, according to sources in the AG Office.

The AGP disclosed that the CGA would prepare fiscal reports from the next financial year as the donor agencies were heavily relying on transparent, authentic and accurate reporting of public accounts. Until now, the finance division has been preparing the reports for the donors.

Speaking to reporters later, former AGP S.K. Mehmood said the department of accounting had totally been neglected in the devolution plan and not a single paisa for allocated for this important function.

Answering a question about the ad hoc public accounts committee, he said its role was recommendatory and not mandatory. He was of the view that the committee could not become effective unless an audit law was enacted. He said the committee should take up latest accounts instead of years old accounts.