Govt Proposes 10% Increase in Parliamentarians’ Salaries

The government has proposed a 10 percent increase in salaries of Members of Parliament of all Federal and Provincial Assemblies, and the Senate.

Their latest proposal is a turnaround on its previous policy of not granting additional monetary benefits to an already privileged class.

The Express Tribune reported that the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has already moved a summary in this regard, and it includes a proposal for a 10 percent hike in salaries of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of National Assembly, and Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Senate.

When approached for a comment, Federal Minister for Information Fawad Hussain Chaudhry said that he was unaware of the development and said that the ministers have already rejected the pay raises for the Cabinet.

However, Tribune claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan has allowed the summary for the Cabinet’s approval in his capacity as the Minister In charge of the Parliamentary Affairs. This means that the Federal Cabinet will have an important decision to make in its weekly meeting on Tuesday (today).

The report suggests that the premier has invoked Section 14B of the Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) Act 1974, which allows the government to boost the salaries, allowances, and perks of the Members of Parliament (MPs).

If approved by the Cabinet, the summary will be forwarded to the National Assembly for voting before going to the Senate for a final call. With a 10 percent surge, the proposal will allow the monthly salaries of the Chairman of Senate and Speaker of National Assembly to be increased from the current Rs. 205,000 to Rs. 225,500.

Similarly, the salaries of the Deputy Chairman of the Senate and the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly will go up from Rs. 185,000 to Rs. 203,500, and the salaries of the MPs will be increased from Rs. 150,000 to Rs. 165,000.