NA panel okays hike in pay, perks of lawmakers

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Finance Committee has approved a proposal to raise the salaries and privileges of Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and Senators to Rs519,000 per month.

The adjustment aligns their remuneration with that of federal secretaries and brings it on a par with the benefits received by the Punjab Assembly members.

According to the parliamentary sources, the NA finance committee held a meeting with the National Assembly speaker before approving the increase in salaries and privileges of the parliamentarians. Sources said the speaker had sent the finance committee recommendations to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for approval.

Parliamentary sources said the MPs had demanded a salary of Rs10 lakh per month, but NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq rejected the proposal. However, no official announcement of the meeting was issued. Sources said seven years ago, an increase of Rs15,000 was given in the salaries of parliamentarians and since then no increase was made.

All parliamentary parties, including Pakistan Peoples Party, PMLN and PTI, are also on the same page with regard to increase in salaries.

Senior members of all the parliamentary parties, including PMLN, PPP, PTI and other parties, held an informal meeting with NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and pleaded their case for an increase in salaries of the MPs.