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170 Punjab MPAs, including some from Imran Khan’s party, sign bill for three-fold increase in salaries and perks
Members of the Punjab Assembly from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are among 170 lawmakers who have signed a bill for a three-fold increase in their salaries and perks “to meet rising inflation”.
At least 170 MPAs, belonging to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as well as PTI, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), PML-Quaid (PML-Q) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) have submitted a bill to the assembly secretariat aimed at increasing their salaries by at least three times.
They argued that their salaries had not been enhanced in the last six years while their colleagues in the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies are already enjoying raise in perks.
Ironically, the PTI claims that its legislators from Punjab had resigned from their seats and sent their resignations to the speaker. But many of them have signed the bill, implying that they were against the resignation policy of the party.
A day back, the MPAs, with one voice, had sought blue passports for themselves.
One fails to recall if the lawmakers have ever crossed the party lines to demand better salaries for government servants or private sector employees.
As far as their performance in the House is concerned, it can be gauged from Thursday’s proceedings that only 12 lawmakers, out of the total strength of 367, were present at the start and 23 at the end of the sitting. The session continued for 2.45 hours.