Shehbaz calls for raising minimum pay to Rs18,000

Marriyum Aurangzeb says parliament needs to legislate to achieve sustainable development goals

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif has demanded that the government increase the minimum salary to Rs18,000 in view of rising inflation.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Shehbaz said due to a record increase in inflation and in view of the arrival of Ramazan, the minimum salary be increased immediately by Rs3,000.

“This increase needs to be given to government and private employees alike and effective steps be taken to implement it. Those who earn 100,000 rupees be given an increase of 20% immediately. This increase should be for both the government and private institutions,” he added.

Shehbaz noted that inflation during the PML-N’s tenure stood at 3% while the inflation has now risen to 9.4%, crushing the poor and the salaried class. He said if immediate relief is not provided then it would not be possible for the public to observe the month of fasting.



“The government must feel for the poor, labourers and salaried middle class and not demonstrate apathy as it has become difficult for the public to enjoy one square meal,” he said.

The PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said the constitutional mandate of parliament is lawmaking and approval of budget. For achieving the sustainable development goals, parliament needs to carry out the necessary lawmaking, she told a press conference.

“A secretariat was formed in parliament for sustainable development while a global framework was also formed for this purpose. When the UN set the goals, there was a dictatorship in Pakistan and an earthquake had struck making it difficult for the goals to be achieved,” she said.

She said lack of democracy during the Musharraf time was the reason why there was difficulty in achieving these goals. However, Pakistan started following the goals with great responsibility. The targets of development are hard to achieve without the participation of parliamentarians, she added.



Aurangzeb said the PML-N government had formed a parliamentary taskforce for this purpose and to ensure progress, the role of federation, provincial assemblies and local bodies’ institutions is essential. She said the members of parliament do not have to interfere in other institutions of the state.

The PML-N spokesperson pointed out that 17 goals including education, health and suitable diet are of great importance. She said the budget that is passed by parliament is monitored for its use by the standing committees. “It is also a responsibility of parliament to hold the government accountable for its performance,” she added.