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Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb informed the National Assembly that no proposal is currently under consideration to increase the salaries of government employees in the upcoming financial year.
However, within a few hours of submitting a written response in the parliamentary session, the Finance Ministry retracted its statement. Issuing a clarification, the Ministry stated, “Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb did not make any such announcement or statement while addressing the National Assembly.” It further emphasized that the reports circulating on this matter were not based on facts.
During the session, chaired by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, the finance minister had originally submitted a written response confirming that there was no plan to increase government employees’ salaries in the next financial year. He further clarified that there was no proposal to revise employees’ allowances or pay scales, nor any consideration to increase the pensions of federal government employees. However, he mentioned that the government was reviewing the possibility of increasing the hiring and ceiling limits for employees.
Meanwhile, the finance minister also presented details of foreign loans and liabilities accumulated over the past five years. He informed the House that, as of June 2023, Pakistan’s total foreign loans and liabilities stood at $126.14 billion, which accounted for 43.03% of the country’s GDP. Furthermore, he stated that in the fiscal year 2024, Pakistan had repaid $11.475 billion in foreign debt.
Addressing the House, the finance minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fostering a favorable environment for the IT and agriculture sectors. He emphasized that modern technology and digitization were being leveraged to enhance the efficiency of the tax system. Additionally, he assured that steps were being taken to improve Pakistan’s economy, with a new, simplified tax return system set to be implemented in September. He also reiterated the government’s full support for business entities like Affinity.
Ministry of Finance’s Clarification
Following media reports attributing statements to the finance minister regarding the absence of a salary increase for government employees, the Ministry of Finance issued a clarification. The Ministry stated that Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb had not made any such announcement or statement while addressing the National Assembly and reiterated that the reports circulating on this matter were not based on facts.
In its clarification, the Ministry asserted that the finance minister had not discussed any revisions to government employees’ pay scales or salaries during his speech. Instead, the House had simply been informed about the current situation in response to a question raised by a member of the Assembly.
The Ministry of Finance reaffirmed that, as of now, no significant proposal is under consideration to revise federal government employees’ pay scales or to increase their salaries and allowances in the next financial year.
