The accountable committees and watch dog like the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), the audit department, and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) have not only failed to curb this menace but they are a part of dirty system (bribe) and huge burden on the exchequer. These bodies primarily operate in a reactive manner, often moving into action long after the curtains have been dropped and the actors gone home.
There is little that these organizations can show in terms of their contribution towards accountability, especially for those who yield power or influence. On the contrary there are examples of the NAB dropping corruption cases involving 500 billion rupees of the taxpayers money under the influence of the NRO. It is therefore time to seriously rethink the utility of these organizations and search for alternate ways to plug the large holes in our leaking bucket.
The best method is a proactive disclosure of financial information by each department and agency. By making this information readily available on departmental websites, ordinary citizens can directly evaluate if public funds are being managed effectively. If not, they can hold the government officials accountable for their actions.
The second method is the use of the Access to Information Act (at present in the process of being revised), which enables citizens to obtain any non-classified public information for scrutiny and questioning.
The Canadian government offers one of the best models for financial monitoring and accountability. It requires each department to make quarterly disclosures on its website showing; details of the travel and hospitality expenses of ministers, parliamentary secretaries, political staff, and senior public service employees; details of contracts awarded; and grants and contributions that were given to any individual or organization.
The government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan don't want to implement such system because if these sort of public account will be available than how will they earn millions for what they came into parliament. The whole system of bribe is so deep rooted that it should have a bribe web link having fixed rates of under table commission of each approval of project.
Feroz Ahmed Bawany goal is to increase my knowledge and to understand the only civilized creations of Almighty Lord are HUMAN. He is a regular contributer to TRCB.com.
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