Karachi -  Taking a U-turn on his decision to raise the salaries of Sindh Assembly (SA) members, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Saturday, on the directives of Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarian (PPPP) President Asif Ali Zardari, ordered the authorities concerned not to implement the decision.

The CM had approved a summary on Friday, forwarded by the finance department, in which hefty increase in the salaries of the speaker, deputy speaker and members of the provincial assembly had been recommended.

The increase had been recommended by provincial finance ministry under the Sindh Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2017 that was endorsed by the entire House.

The bill was aimed at increasing the salaries, allowances, perks and privileges of each legislator from Rs72,600 to Rs145,000 per month with effect from July 1, 2016.

The bill had recommended hike in the salary of a minister to Rs75,000 from Rs30,000 and that of an MPA to Rs50,000 from Rs24,000.

Besides salary, a sum of Rs1,000,000 will be placed at the disposal of the chief minister and Rs500,000 at the disposal of a minister once in a year for making discretionary grants while opposition leader in the assembly had also been given the status of a minister.

According to the chief minister’s spokesman, the chief minister had okayed the finance department’s summary, asking for an outside budget in order to ensure hefty raise in salaries and perks of the provincial assembly lawmakers, speaker and deputy speaker.

“The summary was sent to the assembly secretariat for implementation,” reads the statement from the CM House.

Earlier, a letter was written by Sindh Assembly Secretary GM Umar Farooq that the assembly secretariat was short of Rs9,030,800, which it needed for the payment of salaries and allowances to the assembly members. The SA members, however, settled for Rs666,257,600 increase.

The finance ministry had approved the funds, amounting to Rs664,484,200, to be provided through outside the budget in order to meet shortfall of salaries, allowances and discretionary grant of speaker, deputy speaker and members of Sindh Assembly which were enhanced under Sindh Laws Amendment Act 2017.

However, the decision was later reversed on the directions of Asif Ali Zardari. When contacted Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah confirmed that the provincial government had reversed its decision to increase provincial assembly lawmakers’ salaries after Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarian President Asif Zardari took notice of it and directed the chief minister not to implement this due to present economic situation.

He said that the PPP believed in serving the people rather than seeking raise in salaries. “This is the taxpayers’ money and PPP owes every single penny to the citizens and we will be reviewing this matter after directions from Asif Ali Zaradri,” he said.