Defence czar slams 'massive' salary rise for top parliamentarians

• This falls under category of "financial obscenity", says Asif.
• PM has sought report from NA speaker and Senate chairman.
• Govt has approved to increase their salaries by over five times.

KARACHI: Veteran leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Khawaja Asif slammed the dramatic rise in parliamentary officeholders' pay and benefits on Wednesday, terming it "financial obscenity", The News reported.

The defence minister wrote on X: “The massive increase in the salaries and financial perks of the (National Assembly) speaker, deputy speaker, Senate chairperson and deputy chairperson falls under the category of financial obscenity. Please keep the life of the common man in mind — our honour and dignity are all owed to him (common man).”

The National Assembly speaker's salary and the Senate chairperson's salary have been approved by the government to be increased by more than five times, to Rs1.3 million per month. News reports state that the officials will also earn a sumptuary allowance equal to half of their revised salary, which is Rs 650,000.

Asif’s post on X sparked both praise and irony-laced reactions. While some lauded the PML-N leader’s bold stance against the government’s move, others dismissed it as symbolic, coming from a senior figure within the ruling coalition.

Social media users were also quick to point out that the budget presented under the PML-N government announced no increase in the minimum wage, criticising the government’s lack of willingness to provide substantial relief to ordinary people.

On the other hand, officials privy to the matter have said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the increase in salaries of the Senate chairman, deputy chairman, National Assembly speaker and deputy speaker.

They said, following the immense reaction on social media against the massive increment, the prime minister has sought a report from the NA speaker and Senate chairman. 

It should be noted that the federal cabinet has already approved this salary hike.

A day after the government announced the federal budget, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb defended salary hikes for the parliamentarians, ministers, National Assembly and Senate custodians.

"Look at when the salaries of ministers, ministers of state, and parliamentarians were last increased. The last increase in the salaries of cabinet ministers was in 2016," Aurangzeb said while addressing a press conference on Wednesday.

It has emerged that the Senate chairman and the National Assembly speaker themselves decided on their salary hikes.

The salary increment for the Senate chairman and deputy chairman were approved by the Senate's House Finance Committee, while the National Assembly's House Finance Committee approved the raises for the NA speaker and deputy speaker.

Sources privy to the development said that Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani presided over a meeting of the House Finance Committee a few months back, and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq similarly chaired a meeting of the NA’s House Finance Committee. In these separate meetings, the decision to increase the salaries of these four individuals was made quietly.

They, however, clarified that the government has no involvement in the internal affairs of the National Assembly and Senate. While the government provides the budget to both houses of parliament, the National Assembly and Senate are autonomous in the utilisation of these funds. According to law, the prime minister cannot interfere in the affairs of the lower and upper house of parliament.