Senators may get salaries equal to MNAs as finance committee meets next week

ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the Senate finance committee is expected to be held next week and it is quite likely that the salaries of members of the Senate will also be made equal to that of the National Assembly members.

It was learnt that the salaries of the chairman and deputy chairman of Senate were not likely to increase, while a meeting of the Senate finance committee was most likely next week to approve the increase in salaries of Senate members.

According to sources, the House finance committee meeting called for Friday was postponed due to a foreign visit of Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani.

On his return, he would convene a committee meeting, in consultation with the Leader of the House Muhammad Ishaq Dar and opposition leader Shibli Faraz.

According to sources, the meeting would seek approval for the increase in salaries of the Senate members.

Source claimed that salaries of senators would also be made equal to that of the National Assembly members i.e. Rs519,000 per month, and the increase would become effective from January 1. Currently, the basic salary of the Senate members is Rs150,000 per month.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram blasted the “form 47 regime” for its unjust 300 per cent pay raise for lawmakers to shield them from the back-breaking inflation.

He regretted that the rulers further burdened ordinary citizens through relentless increase in petroleum products and gas prices.

Waqas urged the government to immediately halt the ongoing barbarism and the worst human rights violations, as the EU team was scheduled to visit Pakistan in June 2025 for the upcoming GSP+ monitoring mission.

About PTI founder’s letter to chief justice of Pakistan, Waqas said that the party was pursuing multi-pronged strategies and would knock at all doors and use all available options to get justice. He hoped the CJP would take swift action on the letter.