June 17, 2011: PILDAT urges the Public Accounts Committee, and the Ministry of Defence to proceed against those responsible in the NLC case immediately. PILDAT urges the Public Accounts Committee particularly, to proceed with its recommendations based on inquiries completed by the Planning Commission, the NLC itself and a local Chartered Accountancy firm, in case the Ministry of Defence does not come up with the inquiry report on June 30.

PILDAT acknowledges the hard work and activism of the PAC during the past three Parliamentary years, and hopes that the Committee would uphold the standards of Parliamentary accountability by making public its report about those responsible for embezzling the tax payers� money.

PILDAT at the completion of more than three years of the present Government would once again reiterate that the Government, Opposition and the Parliament as an institution must act quickly to create an effective and independent Accountability mechanism by passing a comprehensive Accountability law. Currently, the Holders of Public Offices (Accountability) bill is with the National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Parliamentary Affairs since its introduction on April 15, 2009. While the law remains stuck at the Committee level, the current Accountability mechanism is in a limbo. This continues to serve as a cause of erosion of public trust in Public institutions and more importantly the democratic order.

On December 08, 2010, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Choudhary Nisar Ali Khan, closed the inquiry headed by the PAC regarding the financial mismanagement of around Rs. 2 billion in the National Logistics Cell. While closing the inquiry he said that the Committee would wait to put its findings until a similar inquiry, ordered by the Chief of the Army Staff, is completed. Earlier, PAC Chairman had said that the Committee would go ahead with its recommendations and fix responsibility on those involved in the mismanagement despite the Army�s inquiry, especially after the Planning Commission had completed its inquiry regarding the issue. After seven (7) months, there is no sign of the internal inquiry of the Army being completed. On June 11, the Defence Secretary reportedly refused to inform the Public Accounts Committee regarding the status of the inquiry report commissioned by the Chief of the Army Staff. The Committee has set deadline of June 30 for the Defence Ministry to submit its report, threatening to go ahead with its own findings if the deadline is not met.