Govt. opposes bill to facilitate families of Parliamentarians, allocating 25 air tickets.

ISLAMABAD -- The government on Wednesday opposed the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in the Senate which aims at utility of 25 air tickets provided to the parliamentarians for their family members.

It was the government sponsored bill moved earlier in National Assembly on March 9, 2020 by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and later transferred to Senate as Money Bill. In Senate, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affair Zaheer Uddin Babar Awan laid a copy of the Money Bill - the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) (Amendment) Bill, 2020 - in the Senate on June 5, 2020 and referred to Standing Committee on Finance for consideration and forwarding further recommendations on it.

On behalf of the Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs, a member of Committee Mian Atteeq Shaikh presented report of the Standing Committee on the Money Bill further to amend the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) Act, 1974 i.e the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) (Amendment) Bill, 2020.

Despite being a government bill, the Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar opposed it and said that provision of 25 business class air tickets is a privilege of the Members of Parliament facilitating them to travel in connection with proceedings of the Parliament. He said that same cannot be facilitated to their families. It is to mention that Additional Secretary Finance in the meeting of

Standing Committee on Finance gave the same opinion on the bill as mentioned by Minister or Industries in the House.

However, the report of the Standing Committee of Finance, Revenue and Economic Affairs mentions that there is no further burden on the national exchequer as already the facility is being availed by the Members which can be now availed by their spouses and children upto 18 years of age. The Committee recommended to the National Assembly that this bill may be passed without any amendment.

Under Rule 130 (8), the Senate adopted the motion to adopt the recommendations on this bill...