15 October, 2017
Former president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari prevented the Sindh government from availing the proposed raise in the salaries of lawmakers.
On October 15, the chief minister had approved a summary to increase salaries and privileges of provincial lawmakers, including his own.
The information minister made the assurance in the statement that the scheme to increase the salaries of MPAs would be reviewed in view of the directives of Zardari.
This decision was followed by the bill passed earlier by the provincial assembly about the rise of salaries of the members of the provincial assembly.
Official documents show the salary of the speaker has been increased from Rs80,000 to Rs150,000.
The summary later put up by the Sindh finance secretary said: "Details furnished by the administrative at Flag-B contains errors; therefore, it has been recalculated: the shortfall for Fund Centre 'KQ1960-Provincial Assembly (Changed)' is Rs7,257,800, the total shortfall amounting to Rs664,484,200". The new house rent and maintenance allowances stood at Rs140,000, official sources told The Express Tribune.
The decision came after the provincial assembly recently approved a bill for an increase in the salaries of members of the provincial assembly.
The bill had recommended hike in the salary of a minister to Rs75,000 from Rs30,000 and that of an MPA to Rs50,000 from Rs24,000.
Besides salary, a sum of Rs1,000,000 will be placed at the disposal of the chief minister and Rs500,000 at the disposal of a minister once in a year for making discretionary grants while opposition leader in the assembly had also been given the status of a minister. The deputy speaker will get Rs140,000 instead of Rs70,000, according to the new order.
