Three-fold raise in salaries of MPs approved

NA also approves phenomenal increase in allowances of MPs; Senate chairman rejects increase in senators’ salaries; PML-N MNA’s membership suspended

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday adopted a report of a standing committee of the House recommending about a three-fold raise in salaries and phenomenal increase in allowances of members of the National Assembly and the Senate.

The House adopted a report of the National Assembly on Rules of Procedure and Privileges for an increase in salaries, allowances and perks of parliamentarians belonging to the two houses of parliament. Presently, parliamentarians are getting around Rs72,000 per month, which would be enhanced to Rs200,000 per month as per the recommendations of the House. The monthly salary does not include allowances which are allowed to members when the houses are in session, air tickets, vouchers and other perks. The daily allowance is being increased from Rs3,000 to Rs5,000, conveyance allowance per day from Rs2,000 to Rs3,000 and house allowance per day from Rs2,000 to Rs3,000.

The House has also recommended new monthly allowances which include office maintenance allowance of Rs100,000, constituency allowance of Rs70,000 and utility allowance of Rs50,000. The House also recommended that transport allowance amounting to Rs50,000 may be allowed per month. The National Assembly also wanted an increase in business class air tickets from 20 to 30, which may also be converted in favour of family members while a member provided with vouchers may be allowed to opt for encashment of vouchers with the same amount of Rs300,000.

The members also want an increase in the telephone allowance from Rs10,000 to Rs20,000. They also want an improvement in medical facility and hospitals may be prescribed in capital cities and other major cities.

The House recommended that the salaries of NA speaker and Senate chairman may be revised to Rs400,000 per month along with sumptuary allowance of Rs50,000 and salaries of deputy speaker NA and deputy chairman Senate at Rs350,000 per month along with Rs40,000 as sumptuary allowance.

The report of the standing committee says that the salary of parliamentarians should be above with the maximum limit of the salaries drawn by the federal secretaries including special pay and allowances. The special report of the committee was placed before the National Assembly for adoption and further legislation accordingly.

Meanwhile, Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani rejected the motion for increase in the salaries of the Senators, arguing that he considered the demand as unjust. 

Earlier, the National Assembly through a motion suspended membership of PML-N MNA and chairman of the Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges Chaudhry Asadur Rehman for disregarding the authority of the speaker and obstructing the business of the assembly.

Due to suspension of his membership for remainder of the session (Thursday and Friday), the ruling party’s member could not attend Thursday’s proceedings. Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq put the question of suspension of membership of Chaudhry Asadur Rehman before the House which favoured it.

Giving details of act of the suspended member, the speaker told the House that Chaudhry Asadur Rehman came in front of the table officers on May 18. The member tore off the official communication sent to him from the speaker and threw the pieces on the faces of the table officers, shouted at them and threatened them of dire consequences while adopting highly unbecoming behaviour and intimidated them.

The speaker further informed the House that the member also said that he would do whatever he wished to do.  Ayaz Sadiq observed that Asadur Rehman disregarded the authority of the speaker, abused the directions issued as per decisions of the council of the chairmen and wilfully obstructed the business of the assembly by doing the said acts in the House in his presence and in front of table officers who were performing official functions in the assembly. “Chaudhry Asadur Rehman shall forthwith withdraw from the precincts of the assembly,” the speaker said.