Islamabad:
The subcommittee of the Finance Committee of the National Assembly indicated on Wednesday that the bill of the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) had not yet been formally shared with them in writing, and observed that the structural changes proposed seemed to convert the panel into a government entity.
The subcommittee meeting was chaired by MNA Nafisa Shah. The body reviewed the bill after a long pause.
Expressing concern about the absence of the Secretary of Finance Imdadullah Bosal from the beginning, the members indicated that the bill had not yet been formally shared with them in writing. The Secretary of Finance later joined the session and informed the Committee on the changes proposed by the Finance Division.
According to the informative session, the division suggested to reduce the size of the Steering Committee, define its terms of reference and describe the provisions for the funds and expenses of the PBO. “We have tried to make sure that a parallel structure is not believed,” said the secretary.
The president of the Committee, Nafisa Shah, observed that the proposed structural changes seemed to convert the office into a government entity. “Parliament is a separate body from the government, and should continue to be so,” he emphasized.
The Secretary of Finance said that the purpose of limiting the size of the Steering Committee was to avoid a situation that includes too many people.
