ISLAMABAD: The Finance Division has turned down a request from the capital police for the grant of law and order and police administration allowances, but increased and revised the ration and daily allowances.

However, it said, no additional fund would be provided and the expenditure involved in the ration and daily allowances would be met from the already sanctioned budget of the police.

Officials of the interior ministry and capital police told Dawn that the request had been made seeking an increase in the ration allowance, daily allowance and police law and order allowance for all employees of the police. A grant of police administration allowance equal to over one basic pay was also requested for grade 17 to grade 22 police officers, they added.

The interior ministry, in response to the recommendations made by the officers concerned, sent a proposal to the finance ministry for consideration and approval on May 27, 2022.

“Rejection of the proposal has hurt officials of the police as there is a major difference between their salary and that of the police in the four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan,” said a senior police officer. He said asking for an allowance at the rate of 1.2 times of basic pay only for grade-17 to grade 22 officers was shocking and depressing for the low ranking officials.

Says due to current financial situation, there exists no fiscal space for new allowances

Former chief of the capital police, Ahsan Younus, had requested ex-interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and the incumbent, Rana Sanaullah, to bring the pay and allowance of the capital police at par with the Punjab police. Bringing the pay and allowance of the present strength of the capital police at par with the Punjab police would cost Rs0.8 billion per annum to the exchequer.

The officers concerned of the capital police had made a proposal for revision in the rate of ration allowance from Rs390 per month to Rs1,038 per month which would have a financial impact of Rs0.3 billion per annum, the officers said.

An increase in the fixed daily allowance (for 20 days per month to 30 days) and a revision in the rate of the allowance from the existing rate of the year 2010 to the revised rate of the year 2012 for all government employees from grade 1 to grad-22 would have a financial impact of Rs1.47 billion per annum, he added.

Grant of the police law and order allowance for all employees was also requested which would have the financial impact of Rs2.1 billion per annum, the officer said, adding that the grant of police administration allowance @1.2 times of basic pay for officers of grade-17 to grade 22 was also requested with a financial impact of Rs0.034 billion per annum.

An office memorandum from the Finance Division addressed to the interior ministry stated that the case had been examined in detail and the division was of the view that employees of the federal government could not be compared with those of provincial governments, the two being different governments having different terms and conditions of service. Any comparison in terms of pay and allowances may be drawn with other law enforcement agencies of the federal government, it added.

The finance division agreed to the proposed for the revision in the rate of ration allowance of the capital police’s grade-7 to grade-14 officials from Rs390 per month to Rs10,38 per month with immediate effect, it said, adding that the finance division does not agree with the request for enhancing the number of days from 20 to 30 days per month for DA, however, it agrees to revise the rate of 20 fixed DAs with immediate effect from the existing rate of 2010 to the revised rate of 2017 as admissible to employees of other LAEs of the federal government.

Over the grant of police law and order and police administrative allowances, the division said in view of the current financial situation and the ongoing IMF programme there exists no fiscal space for grant of new allowances, adding the Finance Division does not agree to the proposals.

The expenditure involved to the aforementioned revision will be met from already sanctioned budget of the capital police and no additional funds will be provided by the finance division for it, adding the ministry of interior was advised to move a summary for the prime minister under the Rules of Business 1973 to seek formal approval of the proposals.

Meanwhile, the capital police in a tweet said Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan congratulated the officers and officials of the police over approval of the increase in their salary.

Ration and daily allowances of the police have been increased, the minister stated.

Another tweet stated that officers of Islamabad police thanked the interior minister. Hurdles in the remaining allowances of the police will be removed soon, it quoted the minister as saying.

The third tweet said soon the salaries of Islamabad police will be brought at a par with the Punjab police. It is the government’s commitment that will be fulfilled, the minister added.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2022