Qaiser and Mandviwala say no to pay raise for lawmakers.

Byline: Amir Wasim

ISLAMABAD -- National Assembly's Speaker Asad Qaiser and Senate's Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwala have opposed the idea of increasing perks and salaries of parliamentarians and termed it 'inappropriate' under the prevailing poor economic conditions in the country.

The statements from Mr Qaiser and Mr Mandviwala came on Sunday, just a day before the Senate is set to take up three different private member's bills moved jointly by the government and opposition legislators and seeking more than two-fold increase in the salaries of the NA speaker and his deputy and Senate chairman and his deputy, besides 100 per cent increase in the salaries of the parliamentarians.

Amid widespread criticism, one of the movers of the bills, Sajjad Hussain Turi, who is also the chief whip of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), hinted at withdrawing all the bills, saying they would have no other option but to withdraw the bills if there was no consensus on them.

In a statement, Speaker Asad Qaiser said that demanding a raise in salaries and perks of the members of parliament at this juncture was 'inappropriate' as the country was going through a 'financial crunch'.

Senate may take up bills today

'The [present economic situation] doesn't commensurate [with] even thinking of a raise in salaries,' the speaker stated.

Mr Qaiser said the present government had inherited various challenges, out of which the glaring one was about the economy. He said under the 'sagacious stewardship' of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the country was being steered out of that crisis.

The speaker expressed optimism that Pakistan had immense potential; thus, economic outlook of the country would be transformed.

He advised the movers of the bills to take up their demand once the economic situation of the country could sustain such a move.

Mr Mandviwala in his separate statement said he would be happy if the government provided benefits to the poor masses, instead of increasing his salary.

The Senate's deputy chairman admitted that he had been consulted by the movers before submission of the bills, but claimed that he had not assured them of his support.

Mr Turi, who was elected as an independent candidate and was appointed the ruling party's chief whip in the Senate last year, told Dawn News TV about his dismay over the opposition to the bills, claiming that they had submitted the bills to the Senate Secretariat after holding consultations with legislators belonging to all the...