PM disappointed over Punjab Assembly decision to raise salaries, perks of MPs, ministers

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday expressed disappointment over the Punjab Assembly's decision to raise salaries and perks of MPAs, ministers and the provincial chief minister.

"I am extremely disappointed by decision of Punjab Assembly to raise pays and privileges of MPAs, ministers and especially CM," the prime minister tweeted. 

"Once prosperity returns to Pakistan such a move could be justified, but now, when we do not have resources to provide basic amenities to all our people, this is untenable," he added.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry also slammed the Punjab Assembly's decision and termed it a "sham exercise". Chaudhry said, "Seems Punjab Government and the CM House is in the dark about the PM and the federal government austerity policies otherwise such sham exercise of awarding huge benefits to themselves would not have happened."

The Punjab Assembly on Wednesday increased the salaries, perks and privileges of its members to more than double after making legislation in record haste, within 24 hours of tabling the bill concerned. The unanimously-passed legislation was tabled as a private bill by treasury’s Ghazanfar Abbas Cheena on a private members day on Tuesday. 

The bill ended up as a unanimous bill since none of the members opposed it from both sides, except PPP’s parliamentary leader Hasan Murtaza. It was unanimously passed after a standing committee also gave its approval within a few minutes of discussion.

After this legislation, the Punjab chief minister will draw Rs 350,000 per month, while members will draw over 200,000 per month as their basic pay and allowances rose to more than double. The salaries of the members of the Punjab Assembly and ministers raised by the provincial assembly exceed the pays of their counterparts in all the provinces and at the federal level.