KARACHI, March 10: Opposition political parties and NGOs on Friday condemned promulgation of an ordinance by the governor, through which salaries and allowances of MPAs, ministers and advisers were increased by 78 per cent.

Strong opposition came from the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, which termed increase in salaries and allowances by the government as revelation of its face and said in the country where 45 per cent people were living below poverty line, increase in incentives for parliamentarians was ridiculous.

In a joint statement, MMA MPAs Nasarullah Shajee, Hamidullah Khan Advocate and Muhammad Younus Barai said that rulers were unaware of problems facing the masses as they were engaged in increasing their salaries while people were committing suicides at the hands of poverty.

They also criticized the Muttahida Qaumi Movement for doing nothing for the poor segment of society and said that the NWFP was the only province where MMA ministers’ salaries were reduced to pass on the benefits to the masses.

The PPP Sindh termed the incentives baseless and illogical, as salaries of MPAs and government functionaries had already been increased by 200 to 300 per cent during the last three years.

Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz group), which does not have any representation in the Sindh Assembly, also condemned the recent increase in incentives of MPAs, ministers and advisers and demanded the government to pass on similar nature of benefits to common people. The PML-N termed the decision against the aspirations of common people in Sindh.

Pasban, a local NGO, condemning the increase in salaries and incentives for assembly members, ministers and advisers stated that despite showing poorest performance, the government was only engaged in providing luxurious life to its members.

It was demanded that the governor should immediately withdraw the ordinance regarding increase in salaries and incentives of ministers and advisers. —PPI