ISLAMABAD - The three private members ‘controversial’ bills, passed by the Senate last month, which seek to increase perks and privileges of senators, deputy chairman and chairman Senate, put a huge burden on the national kitty despite some impression that the proposed laws do not have financial implications.
Senate Chairman Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani has repeatedly defended the laws, saying that these do not put a burden of even a single penny on the exchequer and the move was only meant to put things in order and address audit issues.
The upper house has been facing criticism from in and outside the parliament for enacting self-serving bills at a time when the country is facing threat of an economic default. The draft laws were tabled in the house by over 40 senators, including PPP stalwart and former chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani, belonging to all parties in the ruling coalition as well as the opposition PTI. Later, both the ruling PPP and PML-N opposed them.
A day earlier, Sanjrani presented himself for accountability and offered to resign from his office over the passage of these laws if an audit pointed out any wrong doing. The bills are now lying pending with the National Assembly. Contrary to that claim, the three bills show that not only salaries, allowances and other perks of members of the Senate, and its deputy chairman have been increased but also of the sitting and retired chairpersons of the Senate.
Only the Chairman Senate (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) Bill, 2023 reveals that chairman Senate would get a monthly salary of two hundred five thousand rupees besides getting equipment allowance, sumptuary allowance, and allowance on taking up and laying down the office. The bill proposes that the chairman Senate and members of his family shall be entitled to the use of official vehicles, maintained at government expense.
Under the draft law, the chairman shall be entitled, without payment of rent, to the use of a residence throughout his term of office, and no charge shall fall on him personally in respect of its maintenance. “The assessed rent of a house hired for the use of the Chairman shall in no case exceed two hundred fifty thousand rupees per mensem.” The law says that official residence for the chairman of the Senate shall be furnished at government expense at a cost not exceeding five million rupees during his one term.The chairman shall be entitled to telephones at his residence at government expense and shall be exempt from payment of their rental and charges of calls made there from within the country, it reads.
The chairman, when travelling on official business outside Pakistan, shall be entitled to such travelling allowance as may be prescribed by the government from time to time. ”Provided that the Chairman, while travelling on official business outside Pakistan, shall be entitled to the protocol of the Deputy Head of State or Vice-President.”
The bill also says that the chairman of the Senate 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. Any retired chairman of the Senate who has completed his full term of three years; he, his wife or widow shall also be entitled to such medical facilities for life. Any retired chairman shall be entitled to supporting staff of twelve in number, either from the existing Senate employees or contract appointment, reads the draft law.
The chairman Senate shall be entitled to discretionary grant of eighteen hundred thousand rupees per annum or such amount as may be decided by the Finance Committee of the Senate, according to the bill. The bill proposes that Senate’s all retired chairmen shall be entitled to lifetime official security of at least 10 persons with one squad vehicle for which the federal and provincial government would make required arrangements.
