LAHORE, July 11: Auditor General of Pakistan Manzoor Husain said on Thursday the Punjab government should immediately issue orders directing the district accounts officers to report to the provincial accountant general.

Talking to reporters after the closing ceremony of a four-day workshop on Certification of Accounts organized by the Performance Audit Wing, Lahore, here he said the Punjab government was violating the Controller General of Accounts Ordinance. He said this was a very serious matter. “We are bound to act according to the law. The law should either be accepted or changed,” he said.

In the current situation, he said, most of the data did not reach the AG, which might lead him to issue adverse reports. He said such reports could cause serious problems for the government besides prompting the international donor agencies to stop funding and ask the government to explain its position.

The accountant general said the issue was in the notice of the Punjab finance minister who had assured him that orders in this respect would be issued at the earliest.

Answering a question, Mr Husain said the CGA Ordinance provided that transfers and postings of the Accounts Group officials would be made by the AGP in consultation with the CGA. “I am consulting the CGA on the Accounts Group officials transfers and postings. If the CGA disagrees I do not issue the orders,” he said.

Answering yet another question, he said during the transition period, the federal and provincial governments would continue to pay salaries of their respective employees.

Earlier, in his speech at the closing ceremony, Mr Husain stressed that all ministries, departments and public accounts committees should develop the codes of ethics and standards by which they are to be judged.

He said the Auditor General’s Department had adopted the code of ethics of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions to enhance the confidence of stakeholders in the organization.

Mr Husain said he had just returned after meeting the UK’s National Audit Office chief where he discussed with him the new system of certification of accounts. He said the NAO chief had assured him of assistance in strengthening the new system. He said some directors-general of audit would also be sent to the UK. Being an INTOSAI member, he said the accounts prepared by the CGA would be required to go through a process of financial certification by the AGP. He said the process would culminate in an audit opinion on fair presentation of annual financial statements of the federal and provincial governments and the self accounting entities.

Mr Husain said the focus on itemized transactions and compliance attesting would not shift towards system-based audit. In order to bring more professionalism, he said the Auditor General’s Department was also considering adopting the IFAC standards with appropriate modifications.

He said the new system required professionalism. Making the audit transparent and welcoming criticism would be a challenge. Besides enhancing the standing of the auditing organization, he said, it would have a deterrent effect. He said the auditor general’s office was also collaborating with various professional bodies.