National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq dispatched a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, asserting his detachment from the recent dispute surrounding a raise in his remuneration. This action follows considerable criticism from Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif concerning the increased pay for senior parliamentary roles, as reported by The News.
Sources indicate that within his correspondence, Sadiq unequivocally stated that he had “nothing to do with the issue” of his salary increment and conveyed his willingness for his compensation to remain unchanged. He conveyed in the letter, “No matter if my salary is not increased. I have nothing to do with the issue.”
He has also declined to accept the enhanced salary, deferring the decision regarding his pay increase to PM Shehbaz, as National Assembly sources suggest that the premier and the federal cabinet possess the authority to make a determination in this regard. “Neither have I any interest in the increase nor have I any interest with the matter,” the speaker affirmed, disassociating himself from the affair.
Asif has been a prominent critic of these salary adjustments, publicly labeling them as “financial obscenity” and urging legislators to acknowledge the hardships faced by ordinary citizens. “The massive increase in salaries and financial perks of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Senate Chairman and Deputy Chairman falls under the category of financial obscenity. Please keep the life of the common man in mind — we owe our honour and dignity to them,” the defence minister posted on X.
The sources further mentioned that the defence minister is also expressing disapproval of the speaker concerning the increase in the Senate chairman’s salary. The speaker, however, refrained from responding to the defence minister’s severe criticism.
Concurrently, the spokesperson for the National Assembly Secretariat issued a clarification on the matter. The spokesperson clarified that the proposal for the speaker’s salary increase was drafted by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. It was also stated that neither the speaker’s Office nor the National Assembly Secretariat played any role in this process. He affirmed that the summary for the raise was forwarded by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs and subsequently approved by the federal cabinet. Following the cabinet’s endorsement, the notification for the salary increase was issued by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
