KARACHI: In reporting on the increase in the salary of the "baseless" and "unfortunate" prime minister, the spokesman for the Prime Minister's office has clarified that there will be no increase in the official salary of the prime minister.
The clarification was issued on Thursday in response to media reports alleging that the prime minister's gross salary was increasing to Rs800,000.
"At a time when the prime minister was carrying out a campaign to cut government spending he started with his own, the spread of such an unfounded and elaborate news report was unfortunate," the spokesman said, according to a statement from press.
He said the prime minister at a recent meeting of the federal cabinet, by amending the rules for the benefits and privileges of the president and prime minister, allowed them both to declare only one residence as their camp offices.
The prime minister had also ordered the cabinet to define a limit on the expenses allowed in the camp offices, against previous practices.
The spokesman quoted the prime minister as saying that the expenses incurred in the head of the government were due to the money that the people earned with such effort, so it was essential to keep it at the minimum level.
Earlier, during a cabinet meeting on Thursday, the Minister of Communications and Postal Services, Murad Saeed, said Prime Minister Imran Khan lived in his private residence in Banigala despite being the prime minister and even spent money from his own pocket for the construction of the road that leads to his house.
"Salary not enough to cover expenses"
Prime Minister Khan recently revealed that he could not cover his household expenses with his official salary.
“We have reduced the expenses of the House of the Prime Minister by 40 percent. I live in my own house, I pay my own expenses. Me [official] the salary is not enough to cover the expenses of my own home, "he said during his recent interaction with the business community.
The prime minister also said that his expenses on trips abroad were 10 times lower than those spent by the leaders before him.
Describing his participation in the annual World Economic Forum meeting as the "cheapest" official visit, Prime Minister Khan said his trip was sponsored by his friends and well-known businessmen Ikram Sehgal and Imran Chaudhry.
This is not the first time that the prime minister's salary has been the subject of public debate. Last year, it was reported that the prime minister earned less than federal and provincial ministers.
According to The News, according to his February 2019 salary receipt, the prime minister is entitled to a gross salary of Rs201,574 which is reduced to 196,979 after taxes and other deductions.
Published on Dawn, January 31, 2020
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1531579/no-pay-raise-for-imran-says-pm-office