Upper house greenlights MPs salary bill

ISLAMABAD:

The Senate has passed a private member's bill seeking to empower a parliamentary panel in matters related to salaries and allowance of parliamentarians.

Senator Danesh Kumar brought the Members of Parliament Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill, 2025 to a vote during a Senate sitting on Monday. Federal Minister for Law Azam Nazeer Tarar did not oppose the proposed piece of legislation.

Speaking on the occasion, Tarar said he had no objection to the bill, as the National Assembly has recently granted its House Finance Committee authority over salaries and allowances.

"The Senate is also being given similar authority through the House Finance Committee for matters related to salaries and allowances. A uniform policy will now apply to both houses, which is why there is no opposition," he said.

According to the statement, the purpose of the bill is to make parliament autonomous in managing the financial matters of its members. As per the bill's text, the Senate House Finance Committee will review members' financial matters, empowering parliament to oversee and manage these issues independently.

The Senate also passed four other bills—the National Assembly Secretariat Employees (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill, 2024, the Islamabad Rent Restriction (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the Factories (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

During the session, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri's bill regarding Diyat was referred to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice.

The law minister stated that while a minimum limit for Diyat is defined, there is no maximum limit specified. He clarified that in cases of reconciliation, the heirs and the affected person have the right to determine the amount of Diyat.

Tarar added that the heirs could demand amounts as high as Rs500 million or even Rs1 billion, but it is the court's responsibility to decide the amount of Diyat to be ordered.

Senator Mohsin Aziz's Islamabad Public Health Regulation Amendment Bill 2025 was also referred to the relevant committee. Senator Zehri also presented a resolution to provide effective consular assistance and representation for Pakistanis imprisoned abroad and to facilitate their return home.