ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, Friday, elected Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh as new Chairman.
The office of the Chairman had been lying vacant since June 19, this year when the Supreme Court unseated PML-N’s Omar Ayub Khan from the National Assembly constituency NA-19 Haripur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hold a by-election there.
Later, on August 17, this year Pakistan Muslim League -N’s Babar Nawaz won the by-elections from this constituency while PTI candidate Dr Raja Amir Zaman came in at second place.
Name of the newly elected Chairman was one of the lead contenders related story reported by this scribe some three days back. Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh is a successful businessman and had been was president of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) from 1987 to 1988.
He was president of Aiwan-e-Tijarat-o-Sanat Hospital from 1998 to 1999. He represented Pakistan at the 7th General Assembly and 12thExecutive Committee of the Islamic Islamic Chambers of Commerce in Cairo.
The NA committee met here to elect new chairman. MNA Saeed Ahmad Khan proposed the name of Qaiser Sheikh as the Chairman of the committee while Phyllis Azeem and other members seconded the proposal. Accordingly, he was elected unopposed and unanimously.
It is pertinent to note here that as per rules of business of the National Assembly Chairman of the Standing Committee,, in addition to the salary, allowances and facilities admissible as a member, is entitled to an honorarium of twelve thousand and seven hundred rupees per month; office accommodation with necessary furniture and equipment;
One 1300 CC car and three hundred and sixty liters of petrol per month for local use and other facilities and services of a Private Secretary in Basic Pay Scale 17, Stenographer in Basic Pay Scale 15, Driver in Basic Pay Scale 4 and one Naib Qasid in Basic Pay Scale1; telephone facility in the office to a limit of 7 [ten] thousand rupees per month.
Moreover, later the committee also decided to hold next meeting on November 26 and to get briefing from the Chairman FBR on 0.2% withholding tax, stalled payment of sales tax refund by FBR as well as on implementation status of the subsidy being provided by the government to farmers under Kissan Package announced by the Prime Minister.