ISLAMABAD:A Senate panel on Tuesday expressed serious concern over disparity in wages structures for different service cadres and directed the Establishment Division to develop a mechanism of salary uniformity for all officers of the same grades.

The Committee also directed the officials concerned to provide a detailed plan to bridge existing pay disparities among service groups.

The issue was raised in a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat held in the Parliament House. Senator Rana Mahmood ul Hassan chaired the meeting.

Senator Aimal Wali Khan showed reservations over salary differences between departments for officers of the same grades saying it remained a point of contention and a serious reason of disappointment amongst majority of officers of different departments.

Supporting his views, other members also termed the prevalent pay disparities among service groups a big discrimination and urged the need to remove the gaps on a priority basis.

Senators Saadia Abbasi, Mohammad Abdul Qadir, Anusha Rehman, Aimal Wali Khan and Atta ur Rehman attended the meeting, while Senators Saleem Mandviwalla and Amir Waliuddin Chishti participated virtually via Zoom.

Secretary Establishment and Cabinet Division and other senior officials provided briefings on several critical agenda items.

The Secretary of the Establishment Division provided an update on management pay scales and the progress of the Civil Service Reforms 2026.

The Committee also reviewed the status of officers in BS-17 and above holding dual nationality.

While current rules do not place an absolute bar on dual nationality for civil servants, the Committee was informed of a proposed policy and rules requiring such officers to declare their status and obtain government permission within 90 days.

The Committee also sought draft policy regarding dual nationality.

Secretary OGRA briefed the committee about Price Differential Claims (PDCs) payable to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs).

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2026