The government has started creating hurdles in the PAC’s functioning: Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.—Online photo

ISLAMABAD: Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan threatened on Saturday to quit as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, alleging that the government had started creating hurdles in the PAC’s functioning.

“I had decided to announce before you today that I am resigning as PAC chairman, but my party leadership has directed me to give some more time to the government to implement the committee’s previous decisions,” he said at his first news conference after returning from a six-week private visit to Britain.

“If the government has decided to make a mockery of the PAC, like it is doing with the Supreme Court, I cannot be a part of it,” he said.

The PML-N leader alleged that the PPP-led ruling coalition had decided to make the PAC ineffective because the committee was about to take up audit reports of the accounts and expenditures of the first year of the present government.

Chaudhry Nisar said the government was in panic because the PAC had already received the audit reports of the financial year 2008-09 containing details of what he called “massive irregularities, corruption and over-billing”.

The opposition leader said he was planning to convene a meeting of the PAC by the end of the month and decide about his future stance after seeing the government’s attitude.

Highlighting the PAC’s achievements during his chairmanship, he said about Rs115 billion had been recovered in the past three years.