Cabinet rejects pay hike for legislators

Pakistan’s federal cabinet has rejected a proposal for 10 per cent increase in the basic salaries of parliamentarians including Members of National Assembly, Speaker of Assembly, Senate chairman, and their deputies.

The cabinet meeting a special session termed the salary increase against the prime minister’s austerity measures aimed at reducing government’s expenses and Prime Minister Imran Khan presided over the cabinet meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Austerity drive

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the decision to reject the proposed 10 per cent hike in the salaries of parliamentarians was in line with the austerity drive of the prime minister which was being implemented from day one. “The cabinet opined that it was a violation of this principle of austerity keeping in mind the present economic situation” Chaudhry said.

The parliamentary affairs ministry had moved a summary for 10 per cent increase in salaries of members of parliament but Fawad Chaudhary said that “the ministers have already rejected pay hike for the cabinet”.