Bill to increase President's salary opposed

The opposition parties in the National Assembly on Monday opposed a bill relating to increase in salary of the President. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab introduced 'The President's Salary, Allowances and Privileges (amendment) Bill, 2018' in the House.
While opposing the bill, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf member Dr Shireen Mazari said that post of the President is a symbolic one and it is shameful to increase the salary to Rs850,000. She urged the government to withdraw the bill, saying this would be a black spot on the government and it should not do it while it has left with only a few days in the office.
MQM-P member Rashid Godail also opposed the bill, saying the government does not release monthly salaries to teachers and other staff of public sector organisations but it is introducing the bill to raise salary of the President. He suggested that those elected to the Parliament should dissociate themselves from their businesses, industries and agriculture and give full time to their constituencies to resolve issues of the public.
Jamaat-e-Islami member Sahibzada Tariqullah also opposed the bill, saying that the Parliament should not pass the bill. The bill said: "The government may, by notification in the official Gazette, amend the Fourth Schedule to increase the salary of the President keeping in view the guiding principle that the remuneration of the President shall be a symbolic one rupee higher than the salary of any holder of public office in relations to affairs of the federation."
The bill also said that the salary of the President has been determined and rationalized to make provision for enabling him to discharge conveniently and with dignity the duties of his office. Responding to a calling attention notice regarding non-payment of salaries to daily-wage teachers of Islamabad Model Colleges and schools, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab said that he would speak to the secretary Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) about the issue and let the House know about it on Tuesday.
Speaking on a point of order, Dr Shireen Mazari questioned the appointment of Ali Jahangir Siddiqui as the US ambassador just a few days before the expiry of the government's five-year term in the office. She said that the government has not followed the due process for the appointment as the Foreign Office has also reportedly not given clearance for the appointment.
Mazari said that the government has failed to monitor activities of embassies in Islamabad as some of them have installed illegal communication systems. She also questioned as to why the government has allowed embassies to keep safe houses in their embassies.
MQM-P members staged a token walkout from the House in protest against the government for not fulfilling its commitment of holding audit of 5 percent census data.
Speaking on a point of order, MQM-P legislator Shaikh Salahuddin said that the government had promised to complete the census audit before the general elections, but this was not honored.
He said that the population of Karachi has not been counted properly and it is unfortunate that so far no progress has been made on the re-verification of the census data.
Dr Shireen Mazari pointed out the quorum when Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Shaikh Aftab tried to move a motion to refer 'Pakistan Power and Infrastructure Board (Amendment) Bill, 2017' to the joint sitting of the Parliament for its approval, as the bill was passed by the National Assembly but was not passed by the Senate within 90 days.