Islamabad:
The Senate adopted the bill of civil servants (amendment), 2025 on Thursday, aimed at improving transparency and allowing the public access to the declarations of assets of senior government officials.
The bill, moved by senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, on behalf of Senator Ahmed Khan Cheema, Minister of Creation, seeks to modify the 1973 laws of civil servants, as reported by the Standing Committee.
The legislation aims to further operationalize the rules of civil servants (conduct), 1964 – in particular the rules 12, 13 and 13 -A – and align them with the provisions of the law of 2017 on the provisions of the right to information.
Within the framework of the proposed framework, the asset declarations of the officers of the basic remuneration scale (BPS) 17 to 22 – including assets belonging to national property or abroad by civil servants or family members – will be registered digitally and made public.
The bill provides that sufficient guarantees will be ensured to protect sensitive personal information, such as national identity numbers, residential addresses and bank or bond account numbers.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) will keep the digital platform, while the establishment’s division will be equipped with a framework, resources and robust tools to carry out risk-based checks of the declarations submitted.
Meanwhile, senators have expressed serious concerns about the country’s tax policies, in particular the taxation of taxes on the essential sectors and the economic difficulties faced by ordinary citizens.
While participating in the general discussion on the 2025-26 budget, Senator Dost Ali Jesor criticized the solar tax by 18%, the unjust and heavy calling on low-income families who invest in solar panels and batteries.
He called for the total disposal of the tax, claiming that the recent reduction – reducing TPS on solar panels by more than 10% compared to the 18% previous – remains insufficient.
Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir presented an overview of the federal budget, said we would need more loans to finance current development projects, pension disbursements and social protection programs like BISP.
He warned that Pakistan debt costs are alarming, payments of interest consuming 30 to 35% of loans contracted by successive governments.
Jam Saifullah pressure for the start of the M-6 highway project, criticizing insufficient allowances of the PSDP. He also raised environmental concerns, opposing taxes on electric and hybrid vehicles, which, according to him, have undermined the national climate objectives. In addition, he called for increased support for employees and retirees to combat inflation.
Senator Haji Hidayatullah Khan underlined the disproportionate tax burden to the poor, deeming a salary increase of 10% for inadequate employees in the dominant economic crisis. He warned against the drop in agricultural productivity and underlined the government’s urgent intervention to relaunch the sector.
By calling solar energy a vital resource for the future of Pakistan, Hidayatullah has required the suppression of solar panels to encourage wider adoption.
Citing a report by the World Health Organization, he stressed that 45% of people live below the poverty line and more than 270 million children remain outside school, stressing the urgent need to prioritize education and health care.
