The Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistani government, which had initially made tall claims about launching austerity plans and cutting down on expenditures, has approved a staggering 188 per cent increase in the salaries of cabinet ministers, ministers of state and advisors.

The massive U-turn comes at a time when the country is going through a major financial crisis and the salaried class remains burdened with high taxations, job loss, inflation, high fuel cost, high electricity price, etc.

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As per the latest announcement, the ministers and advisors will now be getting Rs 519,000 per month.

Sharif has been calling on Pakistanis to tighten their expenditures due to excessive taxes, asserting that it is a recovery phase for the country. However, the 188 per cent hike in salaries of ministers and advisors has raised a serious question about the government’s intentions.

The latest increase in salaries of the federal cabinet has come two months after the salaries and allowances of all Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) in the Parliament and Senators in the Senate of Pakistan (Upper House), were increased by the Finance Committee of the National Assembly, bringing them in line with the federal secretaries.

Prime Minister Sharif recently increased the number of his federal cabinet bringing it to 51 members. The initial number of federal cabinet members stood at 21, which was increased to 43 later.

“First they claim about the need for austerity and belt-tightening and what not, claim that they would not pack their cabinet with ministers and advisors, and later on do this. Skinning us all with taxes, job losses and inflation, and blatantly towering up the number of cabinet members plus then giving them a 188 per cent salary raise is just not done,” said a local resident in Islamabad.

“I do not think anything else can be more open, blatant, vexingly blunt to make claims and promises first and then brush everything under the carpet by enforcing such decisions. It is just baffling,” added another local, criticising Shehbaz Sharif.

Interestingly, according to Article 92 of the Constitution, no more than one-fourth of federal ministers and ministers of state can be from the Senate and the total cabinet size cannot exceed 11 per cent of the total parliamentary membership. At present, the National Assembly has 336 members while the senate has 96 members, making the total number of members to 432, which would mean that the number of federal cabinet members, including federal ministers and ministers of state, cannot exceed 47 or 48.