LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly has sought an upward revision of the salaries of MPAs, speaker and deputy speaker on a par with the raise in salaries of all provincial government employees announced in July this year.

According to official sources on Sunday, the provincial assembly has in a letter to the provincial finance department stated that the Assembly Rules (Section 3 (4) of the Punjab Provincial Assembly (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges of Members) Act 1974, provided that the salary of the MPAs shall be automatically increased by the government in proportion to the increase in the salaries of the civil servants.

The same provision regarding automatic increase in the salary of the Speaker and deputy speaker also exists in their respective laws.

The Punjab government had on July 14, 2017, made a 10 per cent increase in the pay scales of its civil servants with effect from July 1, replacing the Basic Pay Scales of 2016 with new ones of 2017.

An ad hoc Relief Allowance at the rate of 10 per cent of the running basic pay was also sanctioned to all employees of the provincial government. The raise was later sanctioned by the Punjab governor.

Officials said the salaries of the MPAs, speaker and deputy speaker would be revised only after recommendations by the provincial law department which is the administrative department of the provincial assembly.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2017