The federal government has approved a significant hike in the salaries and allowances of Supreme Court judges, including a substantial increase in the house rent and judicial allowances. The house rent allowance has been raised from Rs. 68,000 to Rs. 350,000, while the judicial allowance has been increased from Rs. 3.42 million to Rs. 10.9 million.
This decision, which follows the approval of Acting President Yousuf Raza Gilani, was notified by the Ministry of Law and Justice. The increase comes after a similar raise in salaries for the Chief Justice of Pakistan last year, which saw a boost of over Rs. 200,000, bringing the salary to over Rs. 1.2 million.
In July 2023, a 20 percent increase in the salaries of Supreme Court judges was approved through an ordinance, which also saw salaries for other judges rise to over Rs. 1.1 million.
In related news, the National Assembly recently approved amendments to the 2024-25 Budget, increasing salaries and travel allowances for lawmakers, despite opposition protests. This includes a rise in travel allowances and an expansion of annual travel vouchers.