Shehbaz Sharif’s Appointment as PAC Chairman Challenged in LHC

As the incarcerated opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif is set to chair the first meeting of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today,  his appointment as head of the most important committee of the lower house was being challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC).

A petition was moved in the LHC challenging the appointment of Shehbaz Sharif as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

A local lawyer, Azhar Siddiqui Advocate, has filed the petition, making the federal government and the National Assembly speaker as respondents.

The petitioner argued that the opposition leader was facing serious charges of corruption, hence he is not qualified to hold the important position.

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The petitioner requested the court to declare Shehbaz’s appointment as PAC chairman as null and void.

Shehbaz, who is in the custody of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), was elected as PAC chairman unopposed on December 21.

A day earlier, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser issued a production order for Shehbaz to chair the first meeting of the PAC.

It must be mentioned here that the controversy over the chairmanship of PAC hampered the formation of National Assembly’s committees for three months. Initially, the government was not ready to give the slot to the opposition leader, arguing that how Shehbaz Sharif can audit the projects the of previous government which was headed by his elder brother.

The opposition refused to join the parliamentary committee in case of the PAC chairmanship was not given to Sharif. The government had to cede to the opposition’s demand after facing a stalemate over the key position for over three months, which badly hampered the legislative business of the National Assembly.