Islamabad, March 11, 2026: The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works on Wednesday directed ministries and divisions to expedite the payment of salaries and arrears to maintenance staff of the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD), following their transfer under a federal cabinet decision.
The meeting, held at Parliament Lodges, was chaired by Nasir Mehmood and reviewed compliance by various ministries regarding the transfer and salary payments of the assigned Pak PWD maintenance staff.
Officials from the Ministry of Housing and Works briefed the committee on the implementation of the federal cabinet decision notified on September 6, 2024, directing several ministries and divisions to absorb the assigned maintenance staff and ensure payment of their salaries along with arrears for the last eight months.
The committee was informed that the National Accountability Bureau, Intelligence Bureau and Federal Board of Revenue had shown compliance with the committee’s directives.
The Intelligence Bureau has accepted eight employees and issued appointment orders after approval from the Director General. Appointment letters have been dispatched and salary bills will be processed shortly. One case remains pending as the employee is currently deputed in Karachi rather than Balochistan. The pension process for a deceased employee has also been initiated.
The committee was further informed that the Auditor General of Pakistan had forwarded a list of 20 employees to the ministry through the Director General Pak PWD on March 9, 2026. Officials said salary bills would be generated within two days once funds are released by the Finance Division.
Representatives of the Ministry of Defence informed the committee that seven employees fall under their jurisdiction and the matter has been referred to the Finance Division for allocation of budgetary resources. Similarly, the Cabinet Division has also approached the Finance Division for the required funds.
Officials from the Federal Investigation Agency said they had received the staff list only a day earlier. They added that the earlier communicated number of employees was 21, but the revised list contains 49 employees, requiring additional time for internal processing.
Chairman Senator Nasir Mehmood reviewed the status of each ministry individually and directed all concerned departments to accelerate the process, emphasizing that delays in salary payments and arrears must be addressed without further delay.
He said the committee would continue strict monitoring to ensure that all affected employees receive their due salaries and arrears in accordance with the federal cabinet’s decision.
The meeting concluded with directions to all ministries and divisions to complete the remaining procedural requirements on priority and submit updated compliance reports to the committee.
