Islamabad, February 16, 2026: The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works on Monday expressed serious concern over delays in salary payments to former Pak PWD employees, unresolved absorption issues, and the lack of progress on journalists’ housing allotments, while also taking up the ownership dispute of Chamba House Lahore.
The meeting, held at Parliament House, was chaired by Nasir Mehmood Butt and attended by Senators Bilal Ahmed Khan, Jan Mohammad, Hidayat Ullah Khan, Abdul Shakoor Khan, Khalida Ateeb, Husna Bano, Muhammad Aslam Abro and Saifullah Abro. Representatives of journalist bodies, including the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ), also participated, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
At the outset, committee members strongly protested the continued absence of Federal Minister for Housing Riaz Pirzada, noting that he had not attended a single meeting of the committee. Members observed that the minister appeared to be taking the Senate committee lightly and proposed that the matter be brought to the notice of the Prime Minister.
Taking up agenda items related to former employees of Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD), the committee was informed that, following a federal cabinet decision notified on September 6, 2024, maintenance staff had been transferred to the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the Estate Office, and other ministries and departments.
Officials told the committee that 91 per cent of employees — 2,940 staff members — had been transferred and were receiving salaries regularly. Transfers of another six per cent (173 employees) had also been completed, while the remaining three per cent (112 employees) were in final stages of transfer. Salaries had been paid to all affected employees up to June 30, 2025, while receiving departments would seek budget allocations for payments from July 1, 2025 onwards.
It was further disclosed that 2,860 maintenance staff transferred to CDA, the Estate Office, Ministry of Defence, Federal Shariat Court, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), NAB and CGA were receiving salaries without interruption, while 365 staff members were still in the process of transfer.
The committee was briefed on arrangements for pensions and GP Fund matters, with officials outlining a three-phase plan for sharing cases with transferee entities. Meetings involving the Ministry of Interior, Finance Division, Establishment Division, AGPR, CDA and DBA have already been held, and recommendations are to be submitted for final decision.
During the discussion, Senator Bilal Ahmed Khan remarked that employees’ grievances had gone unheard for over two and a half years. Senator Saifullah Abro proposed the formation of a dedicated sub-committee to exclusively address these issues.
Chairman Nasir Mehmood Butt took strong exception to salary delays, stating that “officers are sitting here while employees are crying,” and revealed that two employees had reportedly died of heart attacks. He directed that all pending salaries must be released before Eid, warning that failure to do so would result in action against responsible officers.
On departmental absorption, the committee was told that a report on the absorption of 20 employees in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) would be submitted within two days, failing which the DG FIA would be summoned. In the Intelligence Bureau (IB), 70 out of 80 cases had been resolved, with the remaining to be settled shortly.
Reviewing progress on Chamba House Lahore, the committee was informed that coordination with the Punjab government was underway to reconcile ownership records. Evidence from Pak PWD records, including a copy of the purchase cheque, has been obtained, and the matter remains under process.
The committee held a detailed discussion on the journalists’ housing quota after officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting briefed members on existing policies and pending allotments.
It was explained that under Membership Drive I, a four per cent quota (two per cent each for journalists and media workers) was allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, while Membership Drive II reserved one per cent each on age-wise seniority. Housing schemes involved include Bara Kahu Green Enclave-I, Sky Garden, F-14/15 and Park Road.
While all plots for media workers have been allotted, allotments for journalists have largely remained stalled due to suspension of the process pending review by a grievance redressal committee. Only two cases in Bara Kahu were issued allotment letters on the directives of the Wafaqi Mohtasib.
Chairman Butt stressed the need for a transparent and inclusive mechanism and directed the formation of a scrutiny committee comprising representatives of PFUJ, RIUJ and all CEC holders to ensure merit-based decisions. PFUJ Secretary General Shakeel Ahmed said inclusive representation would help minimise grievances, while RIUJ President Tariq Usmani called for restoration of the two per cent quota for journalists — a proposal endorsed by the committee.
The chairman directed that the scrutiny committee submit its recommendations within three months. Officials also informed the committee that a summary proposing a shift from the first-come, first-served policy to allotment on the basis of seniority would be sent for approval this week.
Concluding the meeting, Chairman Nasir Mehmood Butt reiterated that the committee would not tolerate delays in salary payments or injustice to employees, vowing strict parliamentary oversight to ensure transparency, accountability, and timely resolution of all pending matters, including fair and merit-based allotment under the journalists’ housing quota.
