Gilani | Pakistan

Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani directed on Tuesday the implementation of “wide-ranging austerity measures”, projecting a reduction of more than 50 per cent in the Senate Secretariat’s remaining budgetary utilisation for the current fiscal year, which is believed to translate into savings of around Rs700-750 million. A statement issued by the Senate Secretariat said that Gilani presided over a high-level meeting at the secretariat today to review the austerity measures and discuss their implementation in light of the country’s economic situation. The austerity measures for the secretariat align with a broader initiative taken by the government to deal with a global fuel crunch resulting from the ongoing Middle East conflict. The discussion during the meeting focused on “significant cuts in Senate expenditures, beginning with substantial reductions in the budget of the chairman’s office”, the statement said. “Adopting a top-down approach to fiscal discipline, the chairman directed that austerity measures mu...

ISLAMABAD: PTI Senator Ali Zafar said on Monday that Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani had communicated to him that Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas would be notified as the opposition leader in the upper house of Parliament by tomorrow (Tuesday). Speaking to Dawn, Zafar said he had submitted a letter to the Senate chairperson, seeking the appointment of Abbas. According to the PTI senator, Gilani had accepted the opposition’s demand of appointing Abbas to the vacant position and said that an announcement about his appointment would also be made in the House. In a post on X, Zafar said that he had a meeting with the Senate chairman regarding the appointment of the opposition leader. “[The] chairman informed me that he has approved the appointment and directed the secretariat to issue a formal notification,” Zafar said. He welcomed the decision, saying that the party would be able convey its perspective in the Senate more effectively. The opposition leader’s posts in the Senate an...

Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani on Friday distanced himself from the massive hike in the salaries of senior parliamentarians including himself, saying he was not consulted before the raise was approved. The government recently approved a fivefold increase in the salaries of the Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker, taking it to Rs1.3 million a month. A May 29 notification revealed that the Senate chairman and NA speaker’s salaries have been raised from Rs205,000 to Rs1.3m, besides 50pc of the revised salary (Rs650,000) as the sumptuary allowance. The hike will take effect from January 2025. “I have full respect for the defence minister. I have nothing to do with my salary increase,” Gilani told reporters at the Senate building when asked about the hike amid an economic crisis and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s criticism of the move. The PPP stalwart said the decision regarding the raise will be made by the government. When asked if he would refuse the salary hike, he replied, “I didn’t say about ...