ISLAMABAD:
The Senate has adopted a private member’s bill aimed at empowering a parliamentary committee to deal with matters relating to the salaries and allowances of parliamentarians.
Senator Danesh Kumar put the Members of Parliament Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2025, for a vote at a Senate session on Monday. Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar did not oppose the bill.
Speaking on the occasion, Tarar said he had no objection to the bill as the National Assembly recently granted its House Finance Committee powers over salaries and allowances .
“The Senate is also given similar authority through the House Finance Committee for matters related to salaries and allowances. A uniform policy will now apply to both chambers, which is why there is no has no opposition,” he said.
According to the press release, the objective of the bill is to make Parliament autonomous in the management of the financial affairs of its members. According to the text of the bill, the Senate Finance Committee will review members’ financial matters, allowing Parliament to independently oversee and manage these matters.
The Senate also passed four other bills: the National Assembly Secretariat Employees (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Payment of Salaries (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the on Islamabad Rent Restriction (Amendment), 2024, and the Factories (Amendment) Bill. 2024.
During the session, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri’s Diyat bill was referred to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice.
The Justice Minister said that while a minimum limit for Diyat is defined, no maximum limit is specified. He clarified that in case of reconciliation, the heirs and the person concerned have the right to determine the amount of Diyat.
Tarar added that the heirs could demand amounts up to 500 million rupees or even 1 billion rupees, but it is up to the court to decide how much Diyat to order.
Senator Mohsin Aziz’s Islamabad Public Health Regulations Amendment Bill 2025 was also referred to the relevant committee. Senator Zehri also introduced a resolution to provide effective consular assistance and representation to Pakistanis imprisoned abroad and facilitate their return home.
