ISLAMABAD: The federal government has raised the salaries and allowances of Supreme Court (SC) judges in Pakistan.

The house rent allowance has been significantly increased from Rs. 68,000 to Rs. 350,000, while the judicial allowance has been boosted from Rs. 3.42 million to Rs. 10.9 million. This move was approved by Acting President Yousuf Raza Gilani and formalized through a notification from the Ministry of Law and Justice.

This decision follows a similar salary increase last July, when the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s salary rose by over Rs. 200,000, reaching more than Rs. 1.2 million. Additionally, the former President Sadiq Sanjrani approved a 20 percent salary increase for Supreme Court judges through an ordinance, raising their pay to over Rs. 1.1 million.

Earlier, in June, the National Assembly (NA) passed an amendment in the 2024-25 Budget, raising the salaries and travel allowances of lawmakers amid opposition protests. Proposed by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Abdul Qadir Patel, the amendment to the Salary and Allowances Act was approved with a majority vote as part of the Finance Bill 2024-25.

The updated act has increased lawmakers’ travel allowance from Rs. 10 to Rs. 25 per kilometer. Additionally, unused annual airline tickets will now roll over to the next year rather than expiring, and the number of annual travel vouchers has been increased from 25 to 30.