A proposal recommending that the salaries and benefits of lawmakers be aligned with those of a federal secretary has been submitted to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

According to sources, the National Assembly's finance committee approved the proposal after which, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq forwarded the recommendations to the prime minister. The proposal suggests fixing the monthly salary and allowances of MNAs and senators at Rs519,000.

Currently, after deductions, a federal secretary's monthly salary and allowances amount to Rs519,000.

Parliamentary insiders revealed that earlier demands to increase monthly salaries to Rs1 million were rejected by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. However, this recent initiative has been reportedly supported by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and other parties on the need for parity between lawmakers and high-ranking federal officials.

Also Read: Punjab raises salaries of MPAs from Rs76,000 to Rs400,000

Notably, 67 lawmakers from the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have also submitted written requests advocating for a salary hike. The finance committee has further proposed extending federal secretary-level benefits and facilities to parliamentarians.

The current monthly salary and benefits of lawmakers equal to Rs218,000.

Earlier in December, the Punjab Assembly passed a bill, which significantly revised the salaries of public representatives, following a majority vote in the assembly session. The bill, presented by Punjab's Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman, brought considerable pay hikes for members of the Punjab Assembly (MPAs) and other provincial officials.

Under the newly approved bill, the salary of MPAs was raised from Rs76,000 to Rs400,000. The salaries of provincial ministers were set to increase from Rs180,000 to Rs960,000, while the salary of the speaker of the Punjab Assembly was to rise from Rs125,000 to Rs950,000.

The deputy speaker's salary was proposed to be increased from Rs120,000 to Rs775,000, and the parliamentary secretaries was to earn Rs451,000, up from Rs83,000. Additionally, the salaries of special assistants and advisers were to be raised to Rs665,000, from Rs100,000.