ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly session, chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, continued on Thursday with clause-wise approval of the Finance Bill 2025.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb introduced an amendment to replace the proposed carbon levy with a “climate change levy”. During the debate on Clause 3 of the bill, the opposition presented six amendments, all of which were rejected by the House.
Clause 4 of the Finance Bill, which included several proposed amendments by the federal government to the Customs Act 1969, was passed by a majority vote. A total of 201 members voted in favour, while 57 opposed the changes. All amendments introduced by the opposition under this clause were also rejected by the House.
The government also tabled a new amendment related to the salaries of parliamentarians. An amendment presented by Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, which seeks to revise the pay structure of members of parliament, was approved with majority support.
Under the approved changes, an increase in the salaries of parliamentarians, federal ministers, and ministers of state has now been formally included in the Finance Bill 2025.
Another key amendment, introduced by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, sought to ensure that federal ministers and ministers of state receive salaries equal to those of regular members of parliament. This amendment to the Salaries and Allowances Act, 1975, was also passed by majority vote.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has postponed the hearing of review petitions challenging the decision on reserved seats. Advocate Hamid Khan, representing the Sunni Ittehad Council, will continue his arguments in the next hearing.
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