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Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Senate passes Civil Servants Amend Bill
The Senate on Thursday passed the Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2025, aimed at enhancing transparency and enabling public access to asset declarations of senior government officials. The bill, moved by Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar on behalf of Senator Ahmed Khan Cheema, Minister for Establishment, seeks to amend the Civil Servants Act, 1973, as reported by the Standing Committee. The legislation is intended to further operationalise the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964 — specifically Rules 12, 13, and 13-A — and align them with the provisions of the Right to Information Act, 2017. Under the proposed framework, asset declarations of officers in Basic Pay Scale (BPS) 17 to 22 — including assets beneficially owned domestically or abroad by the officials or their family members — will be filed digitally and made publicly accessible. The bill provides that sufficient safeguards 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 maintain the digital platform, while the Establishment Division will be equipped with a robust framework, resources, and tools to conduct risk-based verifications of the submitted declarations. Meanwhile, senators expressed grave concerns over the country's fiscal policies, particularly the imposition of taxes on essential sectors and the economic hardships facing ordinary citizens. While participating in the general discussion on Budget 2025-26, Senator Dost Ali Jeesor criticized the 18 percent solar tax, calling it unfair and burdensome on low-income families who invest in solar panels and batteries. He called for the total elimination of the tax, asserting that the recent cut — lowering the GST on solar panels by more than 10 percent from the previous 18 percent — remains insufficient. Senator Muhammad Abdul Qadir presented an overview of the federal budget, said that we would need more loans to finance ongoing development projects, pension disbursements, and social welfare programs like BISP. He cautioned that Pakistan's debt servicing costs are alarmingly high, with interest payments consuming 30 to 35 percent of loans taken by successive governments. Jam Saifullah pressed for the commencement of the long-delayed M-6 Motorway project, criticizing insufficient PSDP allocations. He also raised environmental concerns, opposing taxes on electric and hybrid vehicles, which he said undermine national climate goals. Furthermore, he called for increased support for salary earners and pensioners to fight inflation. Senator Haji Hidayatullah Khan highlighted the disproportionate tax burden on the poor, deeming the 10 percent pay raise for government employees inadequate in the prevailing economic crisis. He warned of declining agricultural productivity and stressed urgent government intervention to revive the sector. Calling solar energy a vital resource for Pakistan's future, Hidayatullah demanded the removal of taxes on solar panels to encourage wider adoption. Citing a World Health Organization report, he stressed that 45 percent of people live below the poverty line and over 270 million children remain out of school, underscoring the urgent need to prioritize education and healthcare.
Business Recorder
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill passed: Senior officials obliged to disclose all assets
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body on Wednesday passed the Civil Servants (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which makes it mandatory for senior government officials, ranging from BPS-17 to BPS-22, to disclose their assets as well as those held by their family members. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice, chaired by MNA Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk, passed the bill after thorough deliberation. The committee, by majority vote, recommended that the bill be approved by the National Assembly without changes. However, a group of committee members, including Changaze Ahmad Khan, Ali Muhammad Khan, Umair Khan Niazi, Aliya Kamran, Sohail Sultan, and Sardar Latif Khosa, recorded their dissent and proposed amendments to the bill. According to the statements of objects and reasons of the bill, the proposed legislation aims at strengthening the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1964—specifically Rules 12, 13, and 13-A—and align with the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017. Under the bill, civil servants in higher grades will be required to digitally file asset declarations, including domestic and foreign assets beneficially owned by themselves or their immediate family members, it says. It says that these declarations would be publicly accessible, with safeguards to protect sensitive personal data such as ID numbers, residential addresses, and bank or bond account details. The bill proposes that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to manage the asset disclosure system, while the Establishment Division would be empowered to conduct risk-based verification using dedicated resources and tools, it says. The parliamentary body also consider the bill, 'The Qanun-e-Shahadat (Amendment) Bill, 2025' moved by MNA Shazia Marri. After detailed deliberations on the contents and implications of the proposed amendments, the committee decided to defer further consideration of the Bill to the next meeting. The committee decided to allow the Ministry of Law and Justice sufficient time to furnish a comprehensive comparative analysis of relevant legal provisions across selected commonwealth countries, with a focus on best practices and alignment with international standards. Additionally, during the discussion, the Ministry of Law and Justice highlighted that the proposed amendments, if enacted, would be uniformly applicable to all provinces. In light of this, the committee emphasised the importance of obtaining input from all provincial governments to ensure inclusivity and to account for regional perspectives. The committee recommended that the ministry law formally seek and compile the views and comments, of all four provinces before the next meeting. MNAs, Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, Zara Wadood Fatemi, Kiran Haider, DrNafisa Shah, Syed Abrar Ali Shah, Syed Naveed Qamar, Syed Hafeezuddin Changaze Ahmad Khan, Ali Muhammad Khan, Umair Khan Niazi, Hassaan Sabir, Aliya Kamran, Sohail Sultan, Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan Khosa, Shazia Marri, Minister of State for Law and Justice and Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice, Special Secretary Establishment, along with staff attended the meeting. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
