ISLAMABAD, June 11: Opposi-tion senators met here on Monday and finalised 50 recommendations to be submitted before the Senate for inclusion in the budget. The sources said the proposals were finalised during a six-hour meeting of the joint opposition held in the chamber of the Leader of the Opposition in Senate, Mian Raza Rabbani.

According to sources, opposition senators decided to raise the issue of the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award, saying the budget had no legal status without its finalisation. They said opposition senators would call for its immediate finalisation.

The sources said proposals included at least 25 per cent increase in government employees’ salary as, according to them, the current increase was insufficient to keep up with the rising inflation. They also called for fixing minimum wages at Rs5,200 instead of the current ceiling of Rs4,600.

The senators called for increasing the capital value tax (CVT) on stock market and real estate holdings. The sources said the meeting decided that the opposition members could move proposals not included in the recommendations.

The meeting was attended by senators belonging to People’s Party Parliamentarians, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.