The Senate has passed a private bill that seeks to authorize a parliamentary panel on matters related to the salaries and allowances of parliamentarians.

Senator Danesh Kumar brought the Salaries and Allowances of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill 2025 for a vote during a Senate meeting on Monday. Union Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar did not oppose the proposed legislation.

On this occasion, Tarar said he had no objection to the bill as the National Assembly has recently given its House Finance Committee authority over salaries and allowances.

“The Senate is also given similar powers through the House Finance Committee for matters relating to salaries and allowances. A uniform policy will now apply to both chambers, hence there is no opposition,” he said.

According to the statement, the purpose of the bill is to make parliament independent in the management of members’ financial affairs. Under the bill’s text, the Senate Finance Committee will review members’ financial affairs, giving Parliament the power to monitor and administer these matters independently.

The Senate also passed four other bills – The Employees of the National Assembly Secretariat (Amendment) Bill, 2024, The Payment of Salaries (Amendment) Bill, 2024, The Islamabad Rent Restriction (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and The Factories (Amendment) Bill , 2024.

During the session, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri’s bill regarding Diyat was referred to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice.

The Law Minister stated that though a minimum limit has been defined for Diyat, no maximum limit has been specified. He clarified that in case of reconciliation, the heirs and the affected person have the right to determine the amount of Diyat.

Tarar added that the heirs could demand amounts as high as Rs500 million or even Rs1 billion, but it is the responsibility of the court to decide the amount of Diyat to be ordered.

Senator Mohsin Aziz’s Islamabad Public Health Regulation Amendment 2025 was also referred to the relevant committee. Senator Zehri also presented a resolution to provide effective consular assistance and representation to Pakistanis imprisoned abroad and to facilitate their return.