In a unanimous agreement between the government and the opposition, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Junaid Akbar Khan was elected chairman of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The PAC meeting, chaired by special secretary Muhammad Mushtaq, was attended by key members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the opposition nominated Junaid Akbar for the role.
PML-N’s Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, Opposition Leader Omar Ayub and PTI’s Shibli Faraz proposed Akbar’s name, which was endorsed by PML-N Senator Afnan Ullah Khan and Qasim Noon.
Members of PTI and PML-N, including PTI’s Riaz Fatyana, also expressed support for Akbar, ultimately leading to his election as PAC chairman.
On his appointment, Akbar expressed his gratitude to all the members for their support. He mentioned that although he had hoped that Sheikh Waqas Akram would take over the role of president, he was honored by the responsibility.
Although he had served for 11 years as a member of the National Assembly, Akbar admitted that this was his first experience with the PAC and pledged to carry out his duties effectively with the cooperation of others members.
“I am grateful to the government and my party for this responsibility. I will try my best to carry it out well, and learn from my senior colleagues,” said Junaid Akbar Khan, adding that he would execute the tasks assigned to him by his leadership to the best of his abilities.
PTI had also revised its panel of proposed names, dropping Akram in favor of Adil Bazei. Before the final decision, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had informed the opposition about the upcoming elections and ordered PAC members to stay in Islamabad for consultations.
