ISLAMABAD: The payment of special honorariums equivalent to five months’ salaries to various government and parliamentary employees on account of the annual budget continues to be the subject of lobbying and political and bureaucratic influence.

The issue came up for discussion at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue amid reports of undue favours in expanding the list of beneficiary employees of the Ministry of National Health Services.

The Senate panel also asserted its authority over payments to the staff of the upper house of parliament, directing that the payments be made within a week.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and officials of the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) were non-committal about making the honorarium payments to Senate staff without first obtaining legal opinion.

Orders AGPR to clear payments within a week

However, the Senate panel insisted that the upper house enjoyed financial autonomy in determining its financial matters.

The list of Planning Commission employees eligible for similar annual honorariums at the time of the federal budget has also separately caused a rift between the political and bureaucratic leadership.

The annual honorariums, equivalent to five to six months’ salaries in addition to regular pay, awarded on the occasion of the federal budget, have been expanding over the years, from the ministries of finance, revenue and planning, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Federal Board of Revenue etc, to the staff of both houses of parliament.

The meeting of the Senate panel, presided over by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla, directed the AGPR to make payments to Senate employees within a week. He said the AGPR had been given a one-week deadline to make the payments, failing which a privilege motion would be moved in the house against the office for disobedience.

AGPR officials briefed the committee on the issuance of revised payslips for directors, staff and private secretaries of the Senate Secretariat, as referred by the Senate Finance Committee, and sought additional time for implementation.

BISP digitalisation

During discussion on sanctioned and vacant posts in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the finance minister informed the panel that the government was digitising all BISP payments to enhance transparency, efficiency and service delivery.

BISP Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid told the committee that the programme did not have its own permanent operational workforce and currently relied on officers serving on deputation.

She said that while digital payments were being made through banking channels, the BISP required dedicated operational staff to effectively manage its expanding responsibilities.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2026