Raise in salaries of Parliamentarians: Prime Minister puts plan on ice

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has reportedly put a Finance Ministry''''s plan regarding increase in basic salaries of Chairman Senate, Deputy Chairman Senate, Speaker National Assembly on ice, Deputy Speaker, Federal Ministers, Ministers of State and Members of the Parliament (Senators and Members of National Assembly), well informed sources told Business Recorder.
The sources said, Finance Ministry tabled a hurriedly prepared summary before the federal cabinet in its meeting on September 9, 2016. Titled "revision in basic pay of some public office holders and public representative," it was aimed at appeasing parliamentarians who made a hue and cry about their salaries at different fora including the Parliament on several occasions.
Finance Ministry, in its summary dated September 8, 2016, stated that the Finance Act, 2016 empowered the federal government to determine changes in the basic pay scale of certain public office holders from time to time; that it was proposed to enhance the basic pay of Chairman Senate and Speaker National Assembly by 72.3 per cent to Rs 205,000 from Rs 119,008 per month, Deputy Chairman Senate and Deputy Speaker, National Assembly by 68 per cent to Rs 185,000 from Rs 110,085 per month, Members of Parliament by 236 per cent to Rs 150,000 from Rs 44,630 per month, Federal Ministers by 74 per cent to Rs 200,000 from Rs 114,897 per month and Ministers of State by 69.4 per cent to Rs 180,000 from Rs 106,281 per month. This was proposed to be inclusive of ad-hoc relief allowance of 2010 and 2016 in all cases.
A massive proposed increase is salaries of public office holders and public representatives will be in addition to other perks and privileges which are already being extended to them. However, when this issue was placed before the cabinet meeting, it was decided to defer the decision on the summary.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar had announced in his federal budget wind-up speech that implementation on salaries perks and privileges of parliamentarians would be done through a notification following a discussion with the Prime Minister. However, Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had rejected an increase in salaries and perks of parliamentarians and the party may have conveyed this to the Finance Minister accordingly.