ISLAMABAD: National Assembly’s Speaker Asad Qaiser and Senate’s Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwala have opposed the idea of increasing perks and salaries of parliamentarians and termed it “inappropriate” under the prevailing poor economic conditions in the country.

The statements from Mr Qaiser and Mr Mandviwala came on Sunday, just a day before the Senate is set to take up three different private member’s bills moved jointly by the government and opposition legislators and seeking more than two-fold increase in the salaries of the NA speaker and his deputy and Senate chairman and his deputy, besides 100 per cent increase in the salaries of the parliamentarians.

Amid widespread criticism, one of the movers of the bills, Sajjad Hussain Turi, who is also the chief whip of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), hinted at withdrawing all the bills, saying they would have no other option but to withdraw the bills if there was no consensus on them.

In a statement, Speaker Asad Qaiser said that demanding a raise in salaries and perks of the members of parliament at this juncture was “inappropriate” as the country was going through a “financial crunch”.

Senate may take up bills today

“The [present economic situation] doesn’t commensurate [with] even thinking of a raise in salaries,” the speaker stated.

Mr Qaiser said the present government had inherited various challenges, out of which the glaring one was about the economy. He said under the “sagacious stewardship” of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the country was being steered out of that crisis.

The speaker expressed optimism that Pakistan had immense potential; thus, economic outlook of the country would be transformed.

He advised the movers of the bills to take up their demand once the economic situation of the country could sustain such a move.

Mr Mandviwala in his separate statement said he would be happy if the government provided benefits to the poor masses, instead of increasing his salary.

The Senate’s deputy chairman admitted that he had been consulted by the movers before submission of the bills, but claimed that he had not assured them of his support.

Mr Turi, who was elected as an independent candidate and was appointed the ruling party’s chief whip in the Senate last year, told Dawn News TV about his dismay over the opposition to the bills, claiming that they had submitted the bills to the Senate Secretariat after holding consultations with legislators belonging to all the parties. He claimed that more than 85 per cent members of the 104-member Senate had agreed in principle to support the bills.

Mr Turi maintained that the salaries should be enhanced. He said they would again consult the political parties and if a consensus could not be reached, the proposed bills would be withdrawn.

The bills were moved jointly by Mr Turi, independent Senators Naseebullah Bazai, Dilawar Khan and Shamim Afridi, Dr Ashok Kumar of the National Party, and Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasar of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.

The ruling PTI seems to be divided over the issue as Leader of the House in the Senate Shibli Faraz had stated on Saturday that he was in favour of the bills.

In a tweet on Sunday, federal Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said in these circumstances it was not at all “reasonable” that the “country’s representatives receive an increase in their salaries”.

“If there is any cushion in the treasury, it should be used to reduce the burden on the people,” the minister said.

Parliamentary leader of the PPP in the Senate Sherry Rehman also categorically stated that her party would not support the bills.

Taking to Twitter, Ms Rehman said: “This is a time of great economic crisis for the people of Pakistan and not the time for us to start matching [our] salaries with the region or others. Public money needs to be spent on public relief right now.”

“We will not support the bill on the salary increase for parliamentarians,” she said.

Through the bills, the movers proposed that the salaries of the Senate chairman and the National Assembly speaker be made equivalent to a judge of the Supreme Court. The bills suggested that the salaries of the top offices of the two houses of parliament be increased from existing Rs225,000 to Rs879,000 to match the salaries of Supreme Court judges and those of the Senate’s deputy chairman and National Assembly’s deputy speaker be raised to match those of high court judges.

The movers proposed that the salaries of parliament members should be increased from Rs150,000 to Rs300,000. The bills also called for the travel allowance of parliamentarians to be increased to cover the cost of business class air tickets and AC class train tickets.

When contacted, the parliamentary leader of the PML-N in the Senate Mushahidullah Khan said he had not yet received any guideline from the party leadership regarding the bills. He, however, said the salaries of all the public office holders needed to be rationalised and the disparities in the salaries ended.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2020