Increasing lawmakers’ salaries not a sin: Pervaiz Rashid

LAHORE: Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid on Friday said increasing the salaries of parliamentarians wasn’t a sin and the lawmakers of two provincial assemblies were getting more pay than the MNAs.

Addressing a gathering organized by Lahore Editors Club at local hotel, he said the salaries were less when compared with India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Singapore and other countries.

Pervaiz said accusing the government of increasing the parliamentarians’ salaries was unjustified, as the National Assembly and Senate members themselves agreed upon the move in the Parliament.

The government had not approved the suggestion so far and no sin was committed in case of the increase, he remarked, adding that they (politicians) were not that much bad as being portrayed

The federal minister said the Parliamentary Committee could assign the task of the probe into Panama Leaks to any forum and also amend the laws.

Pervaiz said the umpire had already raised his finger as PTI was at the fourth position in the recent by-poll held in Takht-e-Peshawar.

The government more than any other, he said, wanted to end the uncertainty by completing the probe as soon as possible. The government wanted to carry out the accountability process jointly with the opposition in a democratic manner and foil the desire of those who wanted to resort of street agitation, Pervaiz asserted. The minister said the PTI’s sit-ins played an important role in not enabling them achieving the political stability they had desired, adding that the PML-N government was punished for moving the country towards destiny of political stability.