Zardari stops Sindh government from giving itself salary raise

Asif Zardari asked Murad Ali Shah on Saturday to stop implementation of the recently approved scheme to substantially increase salaries of Sindh’s chief minister, other ministers and lawmakers as well as the provincial assembly’s speaker and deputy speaker.

Taking notice of the proposal to increase salaries of MPAs and cabinet members, the Pakistan Peoples Party leader and former president advised the CM against implementing the scheme in view of the present economic situation.

Earlier in the day, Shah had approved a summary moved to him by the secretariat of the Sindh Assembly to substantially increase salaries and perks of the CM, other ministers and the House’s speaker and deputy speaker in the light of a bill passed by the provincial legislature this year.

In a statement issued late in the evening, however, Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said the CM had stopped implementation of the increase in salaries, perks, and privileges of the MPAs in compliance of Zardari’s directives.

He said the people’s administration in the province had been implementing the policy of cutting down expenditures of the government. “We believe in serving the masses instead of believing in salaries and privileges. Each paisa that the masses entrust us with will be spent in serving the people.”

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.

According to the summary moved by the secretary of the Sindh Assembly, the total annual financial impact of increase in salaries of the MPAs was calculated to be at Rs666.2576 million.

But the Sindh Finance Department recalculated the financial impact of increase in emoluments of the legislators and owing to revaluation exercise, the new figure of Rs664.4842 million emerged as the sum required to disburse revised salaries to lawmakers.

According to Sindh Assembly Secretary GM Umer Farooq, the increase in salaries of MPAs would be disbursed with a retrospective effect from July 2017, with the beginning of the new financial year.

The summary put forward by the secretary of the Sindh Assembly carried the subject line ‘Provision of additional funds for meeting the shortfall under certain heads of accounts’.

The summary states: “It is submitted that the Sindh Laws (Amendment) Bill 2017 has been passed by the Provincial Assembly of Sindh on May 18, 2017 and assented by the Sindh governor on June 19, 2017.

“According to the above Sindh Act No XXII of 2017, it is stated that the salaries and allowances of speaker, deputy speaker and members of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh have been increased, and this secretariat facing great shortfall amounting to Rs9,030,800 under the Charged Expenditure and Rs657,226,800 under the Voted Expenditure, the total amount comes to Rs666,257,600.

“It is therefore requested that the additional funds amounting to Rs666,257,600 for payments of salaries and allowances of speaker, deputy
speaker, members of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh may kindly be released for meeting the shortfall during the current financial year 2017-18.”

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.

“Keeping in view the above, the finance department endorses Para-3 with the condition that funds amounting to Rs664,484,200 may be provided through Outside Budget, during the current financial year 2017-18 to meet the shortfall of the salaries, allowances and discretionary grants of the speaker, deputy speakers and members of the provincial assembly, which have been enhanced as per the Sindh Laws (Amendment) Act 2017, Sindh Act No XXII of 2017.”

According to the bill passed by the Sindh Assembly, there was up to 150 per cent increase in salaries of members of provincial cabinet, advisers and special assistants. The salaries, perks and privileges of the CM, speaker and deputy speaker were increased by 300 per cent. The monthly salary of the Sindh CM was increased from Rs35,000 to Rs150,000 while he was also to get Rs140,000 as house rent and house maintenance allowance. The same was the case of the speaker.

The deputy speaker’s salary was increased from Rs70,000 to Rs140,000 while she was also to get Rs55,000 under the head of different allowances.

The monthly salary of provincial ministers and advisers was increased from Rs30,000 to Rs75,000. The provincial ministers were also to get Rs55,000 under the head of different allowances while advisers were to get Rs50,000 as different allowances. The salary of MPAs was increased from Rs24,000 to Rs50,000 while they were also to get an additional amount of Rs100,000 as house rent and other allowances.