• Lawmakers seek elevated ranks over bureaucrats to ‘reflect constitutional status’ of parliament
• Body chairman to write to PM for reconstitution of committee for reforms
• Senator calls for audit of PDMAs
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Tuesday recommended comprehensive reforms to the ‘Warrant of Precedence’, calling for elevated ranks for elected lawmakers to reflect parliament’s constitutional status.
The Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat observed that the current protocol hierarchy undermined the status of public representatives, stressing the need to align official ranks with democratic principles. The members argued that since parliament represented the sovereign will of the people, its members deserved protocol that corresponded with their legislative authority.
The proposed revisions aimed to restructure the official order of precedence, ensuring elected officials are placed above non-elected bureaucrats in state ceremonies and official functions. The committee held a detailed discussion and highlighted several anomalies in the existing framework.
Senator Anusha Rehman, who had moved the agenda item, questioned the prolonged delay in reviewing the ‘Warrant of Precedence’ and observed that several constitutional office holders, including the State Bank of Pakistan governor and the chief election commissioner, continued to rank higher than elected parliamentarians.
The committee was informed that the review committee constituted under the secretary of the Cabinet Division had not met for a considerable period due to the sensitive nature of the matter, which requires deliberation at the highest level. Officials informed the committee that recommendations were under consideration at the Prime Minister’s Office.
Following detailed deliberations, the committee chairman decided to write to the PM, requesting the reconstitution of the review committee under the law minister, with representation from both the Senate and the National Assembly, for a comprehensive review of the framework.
He also proposed convening a joint meeting with the National Assembly standing committee to resolve the matter, which has remained pending since 2008.
Bills reviewed
The Senate meeting chaired by Senator Rana Mahmoodul Hassan also considered the private members’ bills. Regarding ‘the National Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025’, representatives of the law division informed the committee that, under Article 144 of the Constitution, amendments relating to provincial subjects could only be enacted once resolutions to that effect were passed by all provincial assemblies.
The members observed that the proposed amendments were primarily intended to strengthen the oversight of disaster management funds. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri emphasised the need for the Auditor General of Pakistan to audit the provincial disaster management authorities (PDMAs).
Officials responded that, within the existing constitutional framework, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) could establish an appropriate coordination mechanism to strengthen the oversight. After detailed discussion, the committee decided to refer the bill to the Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination for broader consultation with the provinces.
The committee also deliberated on ‘the Federal Employees Benevolent Fund and Group Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The bill seeks to provide government employees with the option of receiving their contributory amount upon retirement or allowing those contributions to remain available for the benefit of their families.
Officials opposed the proposal, citing financial constraints and maintaining that the existing scheme serves as a humanitarian support mechanism for the families of the deceased or incapacitated government employees. Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri proposed the constitution of a sub-committee to examine the existing scheme and recommend appropriate reforms.
Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2026