Amid tall claims of an austerity drive, Punjab Assembly has granted a whopping increase in the salaries of the lawmakers on Wednesday.
The bill aimed at increasing the privileges and salaries of lawmakers in Punjab hardly took 5 minutes to get a total consensus. Both, the ruling party and the critical opposition, were on the same page when it came to the increase in salaries.
Here is a comparison of salaries.
| Post | Salary Before (Rs) | Salary Now (Rs) |
| Speaker | 37,000 | 200,000 |
| Deputy Speaker, Cabinet Members, and Advisors | 35,000 | 185,000 |
| MPAs | 18,000 | 80,000 |
The utility bill entitlement for the parliamentarians has gone from Rs 120,000 to Rs 200,000.
Not a single member of the House opposed the bill. In another bill, the Punjab government has decided to change the operational philosophy of the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre.
One might ask, what happened to Naya Pakistan?
Prime Minister, Imran Khan lashed out at the Punjab Assembly for raising the salaries and increasing entitlements by calling it an ‘untenable’ move.
I am extremely disappointed by the decision of Punjab Assembly to raise pays & privileges of MPAs, Ministers & esp CM. Once prosperity returns to Pak such a move cld be justified, but now, when we do not have resources to provide basic amenities to all our people, this is untenable.
He took to Twitter to express his displeasure.
I am extremely disappointed by decision of Punjab Assembly to raise pays & privileges of MPAs, Ministers & esp CM. Once prosperity returns to Pak such a move cld be justified, but now, when we do not have resources to provide basic amenities to all our people, this is untenable
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 14, 2019
What are your thoughts on the matter? Let us know in the comments section.
hahahaha,
Imran khan k tweet pe ek shair yaad aagaya…
“Is saadgi pe koon na mar jaye ay Khuda”
those old salaries are pretty pathetic. even drivers earned more than mpas.
IK has totally failed at fixing the economy. If only he paid more attention to the overall government budget rather than the salaries of some public servants. Why doesn’t he cut the defence budget? That’s the real money sink.
I guess sh stands for Sanjay Hakesh