Guest Post by Awab Alvi (Teeth Maestro)
I have recently come across a few interesting facts regarding the pay scale and fringe benefits enjoyed by each member of our National Assembly (here).
It is more than you might expect. Rs. 32,000,000 per MNA per year; or Rs.8,54,40,000,000 5,47,20,000,000 for all 534 342 MNAs for the 5 year tenure. Democracy, even cosmetic democracy, does not come cheap!
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Pakistani MNA’s Salary and Government Perks
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Monthly Salary
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Rs. 120,000 to 200,000
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Expense for Constitution per month
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Rs.100,000
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Office expenditure per month
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Rs.140,000
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Traveling concession (Rs. 8 per km)
(For a visit to ISLAMABAD & return: 6000 km) |
Rs.48,000
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Daily BETA during Assembly meets
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Rs.500
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Charge for 1 class (A/C) in train
(All over PAKISTAN) |
Free
Unlimited |
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Charge for Business Class in flights
(With wife or P.A.) |
Free for 40
trips / year |
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Rent for Govt hostel any where
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Free
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Electricity costs at home
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Free up to 50,000 units
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Local phone call charge
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Free up to 1,70,000 calls.
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TOTAL expense for a MNA per year
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Rs.32,000,000
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TOTAL expense for 5 years
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Rs.1,60,000,000
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For
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Rs. 5,47,20,000,000 |
Keep in mind that these numbers are only the official estimates. You can imagine for yourself the unofficial sums easily acquired by a man in such a position.
Why are we wasting so much of money on a ghost assembly whose job is to do … NOTHING. They have no powers but quite simply play the game as it create a silver lining in their pockets both in terms of official perks and all the unofficial perks they
must be enjoying.
The current batch of 534 MNA’s have done nothing but bash their tables or quite often staging a walk-out in protest. I have occasionally had the displeasure to watch this circus on TV and it appears that these illiterate hooligans quite often simply don’t understand the issue at hand let alone comprehend its importance for its benefits or disadvantages on behalf which may impact the very constituents who elected him into office in the first place. (For earlier ATP posts on some interesting MNA behavior, see here and here).
Dr. Awab Alvi blogs as Teeth Maestro and is one of the people behind Help-Pakistan.com and Bloggers.pk.
Dear poster
Sorry but the figures you quote are for the indian parliment which has 534membres. A indian newspaper used thoose exact figures but had the salary at 12,000 rupees everything else phonecall allowance electricty allowance is the same but the delhi allowance has been changed either it is a conincidence or a fake. The newspaper said the total bill was Rs.8,54,40,000,000 which you have also used. but reduced to represent les membres
Hi, read this blog http://intellibriefs.blogspot.com/2007/07/salary-f or-mp-in-india.html
your facts and the ones here are eeriely similar.
constitution is not the the countries constitution i.e dastoor.
it is when the assembly is called and when they gather on a same day, all mna’s from all around pakistan, the gathering in the form of assembly is constitution
Dear Asif,
[quote comment=”2898″]YLH,
I hope you remember me from PNS days. It’s good to see that you were able to survive the beating I gave you few years ago and at the same time it is sad that You still have not lost your habit of making unfounded accusations.
[/quote]
Actually I really don’t, but I know there are several people in the internet community who suffer from what I refer to as the Saddam Hussain Complex and therefore claim victory even after a can of whoopass has been unleashed on their rearends. Such disorientation - as which you’ve displayed- is said to be quite common in such cases.
Now coming to the real issue…
[quote comment=”2898″]As for your bold part “even the most flawed democracy is better than the most benevolent dictatorshipâ€Â?, Did you know that Nazi party was democratically elected ? [/quote]
This is what happens when a person’s frame of reference is limited to very superficial analogies and examples. But let us proceed on this: Yes the Nazi Party came to power through a coalition government and was indeed elected but for a system to be democratic, there should be a timeframe for re-election and the elections of 1932 did not hold sway in perpetuity. Therefore by refusing the people their right to vote and change the government, Nazi Party abrogated democracy. Instead it transformed into an organised and militarised fascist dictatorship…
By democracy I, atleast, mean a framework by which rulers can be replaced through the sovereign people on regular intervals.
-YLH