ISLAMABAD: The government has reconstituted the Pay and Pension Commission (PPC) by expanding its membership from 18 to 25 to prepare recommendations for appropriate relief for civil and military government servants and pensioners by removing distortions in next year budget and suggest a way forward on contributory pension.

In a notification issued by the ministry of finance, the number of private sector members of the PPC has been doubled to 12.

Four out of six private members of the existing commission including Chairman Wajid Rana, Nazar Hussain Mahar, Seema Kamil and Zubyr Soomro have been de-notified. The public sector members, mostly federal secretaries, have been kept unchanged except the addition of a new member, Director General Pay, Pension and Accounts (PP&A) of the General Headquarters (GHQ).

While retaining two existing members Dr Noor Alam and Nausheen Ahmed, the government has appointed former federal secretary Nargis Sethi as PPC chairperson in place of Mr Rana who along with his team had quit for alleged interference in its working. The government had appointed former finance secretary Rana the PPC chairperson in April this year.

New private members appointed to the commission include seven former civil servants Muneer Qureshi, Nazrat Bashir, Habibullah Khan, Saud Mirza, Dr Masood Akhtar Chaudhry, Mehfooz Ali Khan and Noor Alam.

Officials said the commission would be required to complete its task within six months so that its recommendations could be incorporated in the federal budget 2021-22.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2020