In the words of Stephen Covey, “Accountability breeds response-ability.” This stands true at an individual as well as governmental level. When governments are accountable to their people,  they are more responsive to the needs of the people. When we talk of democracy, the government’s financial accountability is undoubtedly a fundamental and distinctive aspect of parliamentary oversight. In the public’s best interest, the government must disclose, defend, and justify its policies and actions before the legislature. This oversight needs to be complemented by state mechanisms to ensure accountability and responsiveness. It requires a framework through which government departments can be held accountable for their public spending.  Written by Zahid Hussain 

In Pakistan, various accountability mechanisms and institutions exist within government,  including the National Accountability Bureau at the federal level, anti-corruption bodies at the provincial level, the Auditor General of Pakistan, and Public Accounts Committees at the federal and provincial levels. Parliament exercises parliamentary oversight of the public exchequer through the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) by examining the Auditor General’s reports relating to spending. The prime function of the PAC includes the area of oversight, traditionally referred to as fiscal audits. Fiscal audits focus exclusively on the examination of government spending to ensure that funds appropriated by Parliament have been spent in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and with the sanctions of Parliament. The PAC is therefore a vital part of Parliament’s accountability arrangements to safeguard public money. This constitutive role accentuates the importance of competent, persuasive, and powerful PACs at the federal and provincial levels. 

The Provincial Assembly of Balochistan came into existence under a Presidential Order on  March 30, 1970. Since then, Balochistan has faced a myriad of issues ranging from ravaging poverty and insurgency to sectarian violence and bad governance. One of the most serious problems is the province’s rampant corruption, which has rendered the government machinery ineffective in many ways. In years past, the Balochistan government received comparatively low funds from the federal government. The level of corruption in the province seemed to remain low – or unnoticed – until 2002 when the Balochistan government was formed during the Musharraf regime. That era is recognized as the onset of the current wave of unchecked corruption in Balochistan.  

The 7th NFC award, sanctioned in 2009, significantly increased the province’s share of federal receipts. Since 2010, the Balochistan government has received billions of rupees from the federal divisible pool; however, one can’t see any visible change in the economic situation of the ordinary people of Balochistan. As a result of rampant corruption, communities in the province have faced severe challenges in terms of water scarcity, persistent drought and under-developed infrastructure. In addition, its political history is dominated by insurgencies and counter-insurgencies. While many politicians and bureaucrats have been increasing their fortunes, ordinary people have witnessed a reduction in their quality of life. Today, 42% of people live below the poverty line, and 26% don’t have food security in  Balochistan. Literacy and health indicators of the province are also abysmal, and there is no sign of any improvement in the short-term.  

Not only are politicians believed to plunder public money, but many bureaucrats, who usually have longer tenures than politicians, indulge in such delinquencies. In most cases, bureaucrats under the ministerial or political thumb serve as a  supporting hand in embezzling government funds. This ultimately hampers the development of the people of Balochistan and results in the wastage of provincial and national resources.  

The worst part of this situation is the absolute lack of accountability. Despite unprecedented corruption in the province, there has been almost zero accountability against perpetrators. During a raid in 2016, the NAB recovered more than 730 million rupees in cash from the residence of the then-provincial Secretary of Finance. He has been accused of embezzling billions of rupees from local government funds. Similarly, financial adviser Khalid Lingvo had to resign from his post given the pressure of the scandal of this massive misappropriation of government funds. The NAB also arrested the former chairman of the Balochistan Public Service Commission, Ashraf Magsi, over corruption charges, misuse of funds worth millions of rupees, and recruiting officers above grade 17 without due process of merit selection. Even so, stories of corruption appear to be nothing surprising, but bringing the offenders to justice would surprise the public as that would be contrary to general expectations. 

Not only are politicians believed to plunder public money, but many bureaucrats, who usually have longer tenures than politicians, indulge in such delinquencies. In most cases, bureaucrats under the ministerial or political thumb serve as a  supporting hand in embezzling government funds. This ultimately hampers the development of the people of Balochistan and results in the wastage of provincial and national resources.  

Under the circumstances, there is a great need for a robust and firm Public  Accounts Committee in Balochistan that can voraciously serve as a watchdog to the public exchequer. To this end, Accountability Lab assessed the gaps in the institutional capacity of the PAC in Balochistan with support from the World Bank through the Governance and Policy Project (GPP). It concluded that critical institutional weaknesses prevent the PAC from effectively carrying out its constitutional obligations. The absence of systematic record-keeping, tracking, and follow-up mechanisms for cases registered at the secretariat led to a backlog of cases over the past 35 years, making it tedious and time-consuming for staff members to locate and manage documented cases. Additionally, staff members at the PAC Secretariat need to gain the necessary digital and ICT skills to carry out their jobs efficiently, making them reluctant to move towards digitalization. Even in this digital era, observations from the Auditor General’s office are recorded manually.

As a result of the assessment mentioned above, a three-point strategy was formed to build the institutional capacity of PAC Balochistan. Firstly, it was necessary to digitize the systems, procedures and data of by developing integrated MIS software. Secondly, the team worked to build the capacity and understanding of PAC secretariat staff on statutory functions along with operational training on the newly-implemented MIS software. Thirdly, civic engagement workshops aimed at increasing public trust on the role of the PAC in the fortification of accountability and the rule of law in the province. It’s pertinent to mention that the Parliamentary Committee exhibited great interest and ensured the availability of staff and resources for the year-long intervention. Significantly, it was the first ever attempt at this level to innovate a new system and implement deep capacity building of the members of the PAC in the region.

The program developed a comprehensive MIS system that automated the PAC’s file management and communication procedures. Through this system, PAC secretariat staff can now record the cases digitally, enabling them to track the progress of each case, generate a variety of summaries and reports, and send out notifications and reminders to relevant departments while keeping comprehensive track of any given case. On the other front, PAC members and secretariat staff have been engaged in a series of training sessions to build their proficiencies on the new system and develop performance benchmarks for greater accountability of the public institutions. Accountability Lab also arranged a series of study visits at the national and international level. Members and senior officials of the PAC Balochistan had the opportunity to interact with officials of PACs at the federal and provincial levels in Pakistan and at the Parliament of the United Kingdom as well. The overall objective of the knowledge exchange program was to provide PAC members with an opportunity to learn from the best parliamentary practices and instill that knowledge in the workings of PAC Balochistan, driving it to a path of more productivity. 

Additionally, through a comparative study of the rules of business of the PAC with other provinces and the Westminster and Welsh Parliaments, draft amendments are being proposed to ensure the PAC Balochistan is on par with other well-performing parliamentary committees. 

In its first civic engagement campaign, the PAC Balochistan invited students and staff of leading public sector universities to attend Committee proceedings so they can have a clear understanding of their systems and procedures. Attendees witnessed how the government is working to curb corruption and make institutions accountable with respect to public spending. With more significant public engagement, the government can further build citizens’ trust in democracy and the rule of law. 

A well-functioning and robust PAC can change the fate of the often conflict-prone and resource-deprived people of Balochistan. There is no denying that improving government transparency and accountability requires the engagement of both government and civil society, considering that civil society can support citizens in holding governments accountable. By the same token, the fight against corruption stands the best chance when the government institutionalizes the accountability of state and ancillary institutions through improved systems and ongoing training.