In Unprecedented Unity, Govt and Opposition Approve Lawmakers' Salary Hike to Over Rs0.5m

In Unprecedented Unity, Govt and Opposition Approve Lawmakers’ Salary Hike to Over Rs0.5m

ISLAMABAD: Offering a huge boost in the finances of parliamentarians, Parliament’s Finance Committee has approved a plan to increase the salaries and allowances of Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and senators to Rs519,000 monthly, The News published on Sunday.

The sources in parliament say they were informed that the NA committee met with National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq prior to approving the rise in the salary and other privileges of parliamentarians.

Senior members from all political parties in parliament, including those from the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and other parties, held an informal discussion with Sadiq and advocated for an increase in MPs’ salaries.

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They said the speaker made the financial committee’s recommendations for approval for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The increase in lawmakers’ salaries aligns their pay with that of federal secretaries and brings them to the same level as the benefits enjoyed by Punjab Assembly members.

Sources reported that the lawmakers had requested the payment of 1 million rupees per month, but Sadiq rejected the plan.

Without a formal announcement of the meeting, sources said a raise of Rs15,000 was voted in the pay of the parliamentarians in 2007, and their salaries had not been raised since then.

However, despite the current political differences, all the parliamentary parties on both sides of the bench, including PPP, PML-N, PTI, PML-N, and other parties, have a common position regarding the increase in salary.

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It is crucial to know this: the Punjab Assembly also unanimously approved a bill in December that would substantially increase the salaries of lawmakers from the current Rs76,000 to Rs400,000.

In addition to changing the pay of parliamentarians, the assembly also increased the salary of provincial ministers from Rs100,000 to a whopping Rs960,000.

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The speaker’s salary was raised from Rs125,000 to 950,000 rupees, while that paid to the deputy speaker increased to Rs800,000 instead of 120,000 rupees.

Additionally, the parliamentary secretary will receive Rs451,000, as opposed to the earlier figure of Rs83,000; advisers to the CM will receive between Rs100,000 and Rs665,000, and a special assistant to the CM will receive between Rs100,000 and Rs665,000.