Pakistani ambassadors start getting foreign allowances in USD

By Shahzad Paracha

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani ambassadors as well as other staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted abroad have started receiving foreign and entertainment allowances in US dollars on a monthly basis.

Sources said that government has increased the foreign and entertainment allowances of ambassadors, ministers, counsellors, secretaries and other staff posted in more than 100 Pakistan missions abroad besides getting a basic pay raise. They are now getting these allowances in US dollar from July 1, 2023.

According to sources, a BS-22 officer is now getting $9690, BS-21 $7832, BS-20 $7156 on the account of foreign/entertainment allowances per month.

In addition, ministers posted abroad are getting $5423, counsellor $4828, first secretary $4023, second secretary $3427 and third secretary $2857 foreign/entertainment allowances per month.

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Meanwhile, the superintendent posted abroad is getting $2027, other staff $1858 and Staff B-1 and B-2 are now receiving $1351 per month on the account of foreign allowances per month.

The sources said that a sense of discrimination in the bureaucracy still persists as heads of departments fail to convince the finance minister and the prime minister on giving allowances on equal basis.

The last Pakistan Democratic Movement government had announced giving 150 per cent executive allowance to officers serving at the Pakistan Secretariat. Later, the interim prime minister approved 140 per cent executive allowance for officers of the Federal Board of Revenue working in the FBR headquarters.

Interestingly, the raise in foreign and entertainment allowances is amounted to around Rs200,000 which is still more than the salary of a grade-18 officer in Pakistan.