Price hike, devaluation: MPs seek up to 400 percent raise in salaries

ISLAMABAD: Some members of parliament have submitted a draft bill in Senate Secretariat to increase up to 400 percent salaries of Senate chairman, deputy chairman, NA speaker and deputy speaker and give 100 percent raise to all MNAs and senators in their salaries besides seeking upward revision in traveling allowance for all MPs and their families.

These massive raises in their salaries and additional perks are being sought in view of the “recent price hike and devaluation” which, according to the bill’s statement of objects and reasons, has affected the chairman, speaker, deputy chairman, deputy speaker and all members of parliament “alongside general public”.

Copy of the bill, which the Senate Secretariat has already referred to the ministries of parliamentary affairs and finance for their input, seeks amendment to Chairman and Speaker (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) Act 1975 to increase the existing salary of Senate chairman and NA speaker from Rs250,000 to 870,000, which is equivalent to basic pay of a judge of the Supreme Court.

The bill also recommends an amendment to DeputyChairman and Deputy Speaker (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) Act, 1975 to increase the salary of the Senate Deputy Chairman and NA Deputy Speaker from existing Rs185,000 to Rs829,000, which is equivalent to basic pay of the judge of the Islamabad High Court.

The draft bill also seeks amendment to Members of Parliament (Salaries and Allowances) Act, 1974 to increase the salaries of Senators and MNAs from existing Rs150,000 to Rs300,000.

The bill also seeks amendment to the existing statutes to allow each MPs entitlement for 20 business class open return air tickers from the airport nearest to the constituency to Islamabad. The bill says that the spouse and children up to 18 years of age of the Senator/MNA can also utilise these tickets for traveling within the country.

The bill also envisages, “For every journey performed for the purpose of attending a session or a meeting of a committee or for attending any other business connected with his duties as member (of Parliament) from his usual place of residence to the place where the session or meeting is held or other business is transacted and for the return journey from such place to his usual place of residence a member shall be entitled to: a) An amount equal to one air-conditioned class fare, where the journey is performed by rail: b) travelling allowance equal to an amount of one business class return air fare from the airport nearest to his usual place of residence to the place where the meeting is held irrespective of the fact that PIA operates the flights with or without business class facility on said route: provided that PIA shall provide the rate actual or presumptive business class air fare on the said routes to the National Assembly and Senate Secretariat; provided further where PIA does not provide actual or presumptive business class air fare, a member shall be entitled to twice the economy class fare on said route; c) a mileage allowance at the rate of twenty five rupee per kilometer, where the journey or any part thereof is performance by road.”

The bill also includes the provision that the traveling allowance in respect of a journey between two stations shall be admissible on the basis of the shortest of the practicable routes between those stations.

It adds that a member who performs a journey between the place where a session or meeting of a committee is held or other business connected with his duties as a member is transacted and a place which is not his usual place of residence many draw travelling allowance for a journey between the place where the session or meeting is held or other business is transacted and his usual place of residence.

According to the Senate Secretariat’s “IMMEDIATE” letter written to Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs on 28th January, Senators Naseebullah Bazai (independent from Balochistan), Sajjad Hussain Turi (independent from erstwhile Fata), Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan Nasir (PML-N), Dilawar Khan (independent, KP), Dr Ashok Kumar (National Party, Balochistan) and Shammim Afridi (independent, erstwhile Fata) "have given notice of their intention to introduce the subject cited Bill in the Senate. An advance copy of the Bill is forwarded herewith for necessary action at your end.”

The statement of objects and reasons as mentioned in the bill says that it has been felt that no substantial increase in their salaries has been made so far. Resultantly, the salaries drawn by Chairman or Speaker, Deputy Chairman or Deputy Speaker and MNAs and Senators are not sufficient to meet their daily expenditures. The statement adds that it is also a fact that the recent price hike and devaluation has affected the Chairman and Speaker, Deputy Chairman and Deputy Speaker and Members of Parliament alongside general public.