Pakistan’s Punjab approves massive salary hikes for lawmakers, ministers

Pakistan’s Punjab Assembly passed on Monday a bill dramatically increasing the salaries of provincial ministers, assembly members, and key officials, raising their pay by several hundred percent.

Under the newly approved bill, a member of the provincial assembly (MPA) will now receive a monthly salary of PKR 400,000 , up from PKR 76,000 – a 426% increase.

Ministers’ salaries will jump nearly tenfold from PKR 100,000 to PKR 960,000 per month.

The bill, introduced by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Shuja Ur Rehman, also raises the compensation for other top officials.

The salary for the Punjab Assembly speaker will soar from PKR 125,000 to PKR 950,000, while the deputy speaker’s pay will rise to PKR 775,000, up from PKR 120,000.

Parliamentary secretaries will also see their salaries surge from PKR 83,000 to PKR 451,000. Similarly, the salaries for the Chief Minister’s advisors and special assistants will increase from PKR 100,000 to PKR 665,000 per month.

The bill was met with opposition from Ahmed Khan Bhachar, the leader of the opposition from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, who voiced concerns over the substantial hikes. Despite his objections, the bill passed with a majority vote.