ISLAMABAD - Public Accounts Committee Chairman Syed Khursheed Shah on Thursday recommended writing a letter to Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar to issue orders for disposing of cases pending in courts related to public money worth Rs5 trillion.
The PAC chaired by Shah reviewed audit objections of the FBR for the year 2016-17.
The committee was informed that over Rs55 billion were receivable by the FBR. The committee was informed that 695 cases were pending due to stay orders. “I am optimistic that after PAC’s letter to the chief justice backlog will be cleared,” he said.
The FBR chairman told the committee that over Rs55 billion worth of FBR cases were tuck due to stay orders.
The PAC chairman expressing displeasure over the stay orders said that the public money should be recovered.
“This is public money and courts are also part of society so this matter should be resolved,” he said and directed the PAC secretary to write a letter to the chief justice to take notice of the pending cases.
“This money could be beneficial for the country if recovered,” he said.
The PAC had earlier tried to resolve the issue with the help of special invitees — former opposition leader in Senate Aitezaz Ahsan, former federal minister for law and justice Zahid Hamid and the Attorney General for Pakistan, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani. The matter could not be resolved as the special invitees did not gather to deliberate upon the matter.
The PAC thrice formally postponed the meeting on the matter as the special invitees were not available due to different reasons.
The main purpose of inviting these guests was to make a strategy to vacate stay orders and other related matters.