OVER the decades, successive governments of different orientations have fiercely disagreed on almost every national issue, but they have often displayed remarkable unanimity when it comes to increasing the salaries, allowances, perks, pensions and privileges oflegislators, seniorbureaucrats and otherinnuential segments of society. In contrast, measures aimed at providing meaningful and lasting relief to low-income families, pensioners and daily-wage earners are often delayed, diluted orforgotten altogether.
A recent piece of legislation passed by the Khyber Pal(htunkhwa (KP) assembly extending lifetime official passports and other privileges to lawmakers once again brought this uncomfortable reality into sharp focus. Though the legislation was significantly altered in the face of severe public criticism, the very fact that such an attempt was made is clear proof of the malafide intentions of the rulers.
While millions struggle to cope with rising inflation, escalating utility tariffs, increasing fuel prices and an expanding taxburden,the elite class continues to enjoy generous benefits financed by the very taxpayers who continue to find it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.
All such policies inevitably create the impression that there are two Pakistans; one for the privileged, and another for those who shoulder the nation’s economic burden.
The recentseven percentincreasein salaries and pensionsfurtherillustrates this structural inequity. Even though a uniform percentage increase may appear fair, it is fundamentally unjust because it only rewards those already receiving substantial incomes. A 7pc increase on a monthly salary of Rs500,000 translates into Rs35,000 an amount equal to the entire monthly pension received by many retired public servants. In sharp contrast,a pensioner receiving Rs35,000 gets an increase of only Rs2,450 despite facing the same soaring prices of food, medicines, electricity, gas and transport. Inflation does not distinguish between the rich and the poor; why then should the relief provided by the state do so? A more equitable approach would be to linl( salary and pension adjustments to the actual cost of living, and adopt a progressive formula that grants greater relief to low-income employees and pensioners, while exercising restraint at the upper end of the scale. Such a policy would promote social justice and narrow income disparities.
Public office is a sacred trust. It is not a gateway to lifelong privileges. Every unnecessaryconcession granted to those in power is ultimately financed by ordinary Pakistanis teachers, labourers, farmers, pensioners, small traders and salaried employees. Every rupee spent on avoidable perksis arupee thatcould have been invested in public schools, hospitals, clean drinking water, employment-generation or social protection programmes.
Pakistan’s economic difficulties cannot be overcome solely through new taxes or external borrowing. They also require a fundamental shift in governance priorities.
Fiscal discipline must begin at the top.
Governments should review and rationalise unnecessary official privileges, reduce wasteful expenditure, broaden the direct taxbase, strengthen accountability and ensure that public resources are utilised for the welfare of the people rather than the comfort of the privileged. Policymakers across the political spectrum need to rise above partisan interests and place the welfare of the common people at the centre of public policy. Only then can Pal(istan hope to move towards a prosperous future.
Ghulam Mujtaba Rawalpindi