In a move that raises eyebrows in the backdrop of severe financial crunch Pakistan is faced with, the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges on Tuesday recommended removing certain 'hurdles' in the laws for 'easy' utilisation of free air tickets the parliamentarians are already entitled to legally.
Ironically, the committee is led by Rana Qasim Noon, who is from the ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) which takes pride in claiming credit for having launched an austerity drive to cut back on unnecessary expenditures in running the affairs of government after coming into power in Aug last year.
In April this year, the NA committee had taken a 'suo motu' notice on the issue of free air tickets and vouchers to the members of the Parliament (MPs) and has since been pushing for the removal of certain 'impediments' in the Members of Parliament (Salaries & Allowances) Act, 1974 to allow the conversion of free air tickets, the MPs are legally entitled to, into credit cards.
In the committee's meeting on Tuesday presided over by Rana Qasim Noon, the NA panel recommended amendments in Section (10) of the Parliament (Salaries & Allowances) Act, 1974 for removing the legal 'hitches' being faced by the parliamentarians for utilizing their free air travel tickets. Making this recommendation, that would be put up for parliamentary legislation in order to become a law, the committee claimed that the national kitty would not be burdened in any way and there would be no financial impact of the conversion of air tickets to the credit cards on the exchequer.
The Section (10) of the Parliament (Salaries & Allowances) Act, 1974 reads "Free travel - (1) Every member shall be provided during a year with such vouchers of the value of three hundred thousand rupees as would enable him to travel within Pakistan at any time without payment of any fare by air or by rail: Provided that, where a person becomes a member during the course of a year, the value of the vouchers with which he is provided during that year shall not exceed the value which bears the same proportion to three hundred thousand rupees as the unexpired portion of the year bears to a year. (2) A member who does not wish to be provided with such vouchers shall be paid an allowance which bears the same proportion to the value of the vouchers he would have been entitled to be provided with under sub-section (1) as the sum of three hundred thousand, bears to the sum of ninety thousand rupees. (2A) A member shall, in addition to the vouchers referred to in sub-section (1) or as the case may be an amount of ninety thousand rupees in cash referred to in sub-section (2), be entitled to twenty business class open return air tickets from the airport nearest to his constituency to Islamabad. (3) Any voucher with which a member is provided under sub-section (I) may be utilized by the family of the member. Explanation: - In this sub-section, 'family' means the spouse and children of a member and one other person. (4) The utilization by a member of any voucher with which he is provided under sub-section (1) for the purpose of any journey for which he is entitled to any travelling allowance under this Act shall not in any way affect his right to receive such allowance."
This is not the first time that lawmakers have taken measures to enhance the already lucrative perks and privileges they are legally entitled to. In March this year, the Punjab Assembly had passed a bill to give hefty raise to the salaries of MPAs. The bill approved a six-fold increase in the salary of the chief minister, three-fold raise for the speaker, deputy speaker and ministers and a two-fold increase for MPAs, besides enhancing their perks. However, after Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed 'extreme disappointment' over the provincial legislature's decision to increase salaries, perks and privileges of its members, Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi reviewed the bill and amended the clause related to six-fold raise in CM Punjab's salary before the bill went to Governor Punjab Chaudhry Sarwar for his assent.
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