The National Assembly has passed a bill granting the Finance Committees authority to revise the salaries and allowances of parliamentarians, increasing lawmakers’ monthly salary from Rs218,000 to Rs519,000 after tax deductions.

The bill, presented by Romina Khurshid Alam, was approved by a majority vote despite strong opposition protests.

Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq dismissed the opposition’s objections, stating, “Anyone unwilling to accept the salary hike should submit a written refusal.”

He further criticised the opposition for calling the Parliament “fake” while actively participating in its proceedings.

It is worth noting that the Finance Committee had already approved aligning lawmakers’ salaries with those of federal secretaries.

Interestingly, 67 members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had also submitted written demands for a salary increase, while members of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) proposed raising lawmakers’ salaries to Rs1 million per month. However, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq rejected the proposal.

Speaker’s rebuke to opposition’s stance

During the session, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq took a jibe at opposition lawmakers, stating, “They protest against Parliament while happily drawing their salaries. If anyone doesn’t want their salary, they should inform us in writing.”

He further criticised the opposition’s inconsistent stance, saying, “When they are in power, the Assembly is legitimate; when they are not, they call it fake. That is not how it works.”

The Speaker also repeatedly urged PTI leader Omar Ayub to maintain decorum during his speech, deleting several of his remarks from the record.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly session, initially scheduled for tomorrow, has been rescheduled to February 18.