K-P refuses ministers’ demand for pay raise

Doctors in the province amused at the irony of the demand.

PESHAWAR:

The ministers of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) asked the provincial government to increase their salaries. The K-P government, in an interesting turn of events, refused.

According to sources, some of the ministers reasoned that keeping in mind the general price-hike, the government needed to consider raising their salaries in the upcoming budget.

A minister, on the condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that they were being paid a mere Rs16,000 a month.

He added that some of the ministers were given official houses in addition to the monthly salary, while others were given housing rent apart from the salary.

“Our salaries are equal to that of a police constable and we cannot manage within that much,” the minister said. “This is not the first time that we have asked for our salaries to be increased … we discussed it with the chief minister earlier, but he flatly refused.”

K-P senior minister Bashir Ahmad Bilour was of the same view. “Yes, the salary of a minister is equal to that of a police constable and when the utility bills of a minister exceed the limit, the amount is then deducted from his or her salary,” Bilour added.

Low income is an issue which has also been at the heart of the doctors’ strike in the province. However, no one has paid heed to their demands either.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2011.