NAB employees get daily, house rent, investigation allowances

ISLAMABAD: The PTI government has approved hefty raise in salaries, in the form of allowances, for the employees of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Following the advice of the Prime Minister Imran Khan, President Dr Arif Alvi has allowed with effect from 13th March 2019, the following dispensation to the employees of NAB:

i) Monthly Investigation Allowance equivalent to 60% of running basic pay.

ii) Fixed 20 DAs (Daily Allowance) per month.

iii) House rent ceiling with salary.

According to a NAB notification dated 19th March, admissibility of the allowances sanctioned by the government as reflected above is subject to the following conditions:

i) The allowance mentioned at (i) and (ii) will be admissible during the all types of leave except extra ordinary leave.

ii) The fixed 20 DAs per month will be admissible for the services of a complete month. The amount of fixed 20 DAs will be reduced proportionately for the number of days spent on leave over and above the Ten (10) days leave during a calendar month.

iii) The above allowances will not be admissible to the employees during their tenure posting/ deputation abroad.

iv) The above allowance will be admissible to the employees on their repatriation from posting/ deputation abroad.

v) The above allowances will be treated as part of emolument for the purpose of income tax.

Informed sources said that the PTI government gave this raise in salary package to the employees of the Bureau after the NAB had formally approached the government.

According to a NAB source, the Bureau employees were denied certain allowances which were allowed to employees of different agencies like police and intelligence bureau. It is said that the previous governments of PML-N and PPP were also pressed but they did not allow the allowances which the present PTI government has sanctioned.

According to top officials, the salary structure of NAB employees was poor, and their work was of an important nature. They said that corruption is a cancer for the country and NAB was fighting with it. They said that strenuous efforts are needed to carry out such a job, and risk to life is another challenge that every Bureau investigator faces.

While the NAB officials insist that they deserved the allowance since long for the kind of work they do, a government servant working in the federal secretariat said that in a situation where the government is raising hue and cry over the scarcity of funds, the significant raise given to NAB employees would be interpreted as “bribe” to gain political advantage.

According to another government employees, this move of the government will further the huge salary discrepancies already prevailing within the government structure. He lamented that the employees of institutions like NAB, Supreme Court of Pakistan, FBR, Federal Shariat Court, National Assembly, Senate, Prime Minister’s Secretariat, President Secretariat are paid far more than the other government employees. It is said that there is no parity in the salary structure of employees working in different government departments, which cause heart burning and disappointment.

Prior to this latest raise given to NAB employees, the former Chief Justice Saqib Nisar a day before his retirement had allowed all employees of the Supreme Court of Pakistan special allowance equal to three times initial basic pay of the pay scale 2017.

A notification issued by the Supreme Court on January 16, 2019, had announced this special raise in the salary of all the employees from BS-1-22 of the Supreme Court. The raise will be applicable with effect from January 1, 2019.

According to the SC’s notification: “In pursuance of Finance Division’s U.O.No.5(1)-R-3/2018 dated 29.06.2018, in response to this court’s letter of even number dated 06.06.2018, the Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan, having exercised powers in terms of Finance Division’s (Expenditure Wing) O.M.No.F.1(5)R.12/81 dated 24th November 1993 read with Rule 4 of the Supreme Court Establishment Service Rules, 2015, has been pleased to unfreeze special judicial allowance which was admissible equal to three times initial basic pay of the pay scale 2008 to the employees (BPS 1-22) of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and allowed them to draw the revised special judicial allowance with effect from 01.01.2019 equal to three times initial basic pay of the pay scale 2017.”