'Price hike, devaluation of rupee': Draft bill proposes massive raise in salaries of lawmakers.

ISLAMABAD -- Some members of the parliament have submitted a draft bill in the Senate Secretariat to increase the salary of the Senate chairman, the deputy chairman, the National Assembly speaker, and the deputy speaker, by up to 400 per cent, reported media on Saturday.

The bill also includes a proposal to raise the salary of the members of the National Assembly by 100 per cent, besides seeking an upward revision in the traveling allowance for all lawmakers and their families. The raise has been proposed in light of "price hike and devaluation of the rupee".

The inflation, according to the statement of objects and reasons outlined in the bill, has affected the Senate chairman, the NA speaker, the Senate deputy chairman, and the NA deputy speaker, are all members of the parliament 'alongside the general public'.

A copy of the bill, which the Senate Secretariat has already referred to the ministries of parliamentary affairs and finance for their input, seeks amendment to Chairman and Speaker (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) Act 1975 to increase the existing salary of Senate chairman and NA speaker from Rs250,000 to 870,000, which is equivalent to basic pay of a judge of the Supreme Court.

The bill also recommends an amendment to the Deputy Chairman and Deputy Speaker (Salaries, Allowances and Privileges) Act 1975 to increase the salary of the Senate Deputy Chairman and NA Deputy Speaker from existing Rs185,000 to Rs829,000, which is equivalent to basic pay of the judge of the Islamabad High...