National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has said that demanding raise in salaries and perks of members of parliament at this juncture of time was inappropriate. He said that the country was going through a financial crunch and the situation “doesn’t commensurate even thinking of raise in salaries”. The speaker said that the present government inherited various challenges out of which the glaring one was the financial condition. He said that under the sagacious stewardship of PM Imran Khan, the country was being steered out of that crunch. Qaiser continued that effective financial policies are gradually decreasing the economic crisis, whereas, the increments in salaries will increase the burden on the national exchequer. He expressed his optimism that Pakistan had immense potential; thus economic outlook of the country would be transformed. He advised the movers of the law for raising the salaries and perks of parliamentarians to take up their demand once the economic situation of the country could sustain their demand. Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had decided to oppose a proposed bill in the Senate seeking a raise in the salaries of the members of the Upper House of the Parliament. The announcement was made by the PTI Senator Faisal Javed. He said that the prime minister has directed to adopt austerity measures and their top priority is the betterment of the poor segments of the society. “The prime minister initiated the process of saving the national exchequer from himself as he currently resides at his personal residence and has minimized the PM office’ expenses to a historic low,” he said and added the foreign tours of the premier depicts the similar austerity measures adopted from the PTI-led government. Faisal Javed said that unless the country’s economy stabilizes, the representatives of the masses should follow the path of the prime minister.