TAKING a cue from members of the Punjab Assembly, MNAs and Senators got a huge 138% pay raise on Tuesday as the National Assembly passed the Members of Parliament Salaries and Allowances (Amendment) Bill 2025 with a majority vote. The bill proposes raising parliamentarians’ salaries from Rs218,000 to Rs519,000, aligning them with federal secretaries’ pay. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Romina Khurshid Alam tabled the bill, with neither opposition nor treasury lawmakers raising any objection to the quantum jump in their salaries and allowances.
Technically, there is nothing wrong with the move as the National Assembly is fully empowered to legislate on financial matters including increase in salaries of the Government servants and parliamentarians. Not all parliamentarians are millionaires or billionaires and they need to be paid adequately to allow them the required peace of mind to focus on their functions and responsibilities as elected members and legislators. However, the move has a symbolic value and sends negative signals to the nation in general and fixed-income groups in particular as it comes at a time when the entire governmental leadership is raising slogans of austerity and simplicity. Ministries, divisions and departments are being axed in the name of right-sizing; salaries increased miserly citing financial conditions of the national kitty; pensions chopped and minimum wages increased nominally despite skyrocketing price-hike. Then what is justification for a manifold hike in salaries and allowances of MPs, especially when they are supposed to be role models in implementing policies and strategies of the Government? And it is also a fact that this is not all they get as their perks and privileges surpass salaries and allowances free medical, air travel, secretarial support, TA/DA etc. It is claimed that the salaries have been brought at par with those of the federal secretaries. True but bureaucrats are paid for services rendered throughout the month (except weekends and leaves) but MPs will get all facilities even if their houses meet for a few days in a month or in a few months. It is also known to all that a good number of legislators either do not attend the sessions at all or come to the house to mark presence and remain indifferent to their duties and responsibilities. One hopes while enjoying the newly acquired raise in pay and allowances, the MPs will also focus on improving their personal as well as collective performance.
