Chairman Senate: PAC unhappy over bill seeking increase in salaries, perks

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), on Tuesday, expressed its utter displeasure over a bill for the salaries, allowances, and privileges of the Chairman Senate passed on Monday, which allowed an increase in the salary and perks and privileges of the Chairman Senate.

Member Committee and former Deputy Chairman Senate Saleem Mandviwalla also criticised the bill, adding it was a shame as most of the senators signed the bill without reading it.

The Chairman and Speaker (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) Act, 1975, deals with both the Chairman Senate and Speaker National Assembly under one enactment that does not justify and sufficiently provide for the functions and responsibilities of both positions.

This bill aims at providing separate provisions regarding Chairman Senate from the existing Act.

The Chairman may travel by air, in which case he shall be entitled to requisition at the cost of government, if he considers it necessary in the public interest, an aeroplane or a helicopter belonging to the federal government, provincial government, armed forces, any flying club in Pakistan or any chartered air service provider.

The Chairman and his family shall be entitled to medical facilities in public and private hospitals and he and his family shall be entitled to receive medical treatment at his official residence.

The Chairman shall be entitled to such personal staff as may be prescribed by the finance committee of the Senate. The finance committee of the Senate shall be authorised to provide personal staff, regular or contractual, as the case may be, not exceeding the limit of 12 in number to the person who has held the office of Chairman for a full term: provided that the services of contractual employees referred under sub-section (2) shall not be regularised in any case whatever.

The finance committee of the senate may grant to the Chairman and the person who has held such office for a full term of three years, such additional privileges as it may deem fit.

Every person who has held the office of the Chairman for a full term of three years, shall be entitled for life to full security detail that is to say six sentries at the declared residence, four personnel of police, anti-terrorism force, Rangers, frontier corps or frontier constabulary in one squad vehicle for which the federal government in Islamabad, or a provincial government in the respective province, shall make the required arrangements.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023