Pakistan People's Party's (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday issued orders to Chief Minister (CM) Sindh to retrieve a bill that approved an increase in the salaries of Sindh Assembly members, DawnNews reported on Saturday.

The Sindh Assembly had approved a summary okaying the increase in salaries of the advisers, special assistant as well as ministers by at least 150 per cent. The salaries of the CM, Sindh Assembly speaker and deputy speaker were increased by 300pc. CM Murad Ali Shah had signed the summary, which included an increase in privileges as well.

However, the former president said today (Saturday) that salaries of ministers will not be increased "till the economy of the country is stable".

The increase in salaries and privileges came in to effect from July 2016.

Under the bill, salaries of the speaker and deputy speaker were increased to Rs150,000 and Rs140,000, respectively, from Rs80,000 and Rs70,000. The chief minister's salary would have increased to Rs150,000 per month against Rs35,000 in addition to Rs20,000 as sumptuary allowance against Rs13,000.

The salary of a minister was increased to Rs75,000 from Rs30,000 and that of an MPA to Rs50,000 from Rs24,000.

Besides the salary, a sum of Rs1,000,000 in a year was placed at the disposal of the chief minister and 500,000 at the disposal of a minister for discretionary grants.

The chief minister, speaker and deputy speaker were entitled to unlimited petrol, while a minister and adviser would have received 400 litres per month.

A clause was also included in the Sindh Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2017, for compensation of Rs5m to the bereaved family of a lawmaker in case of accidental death.

The raises would have increased the province's spending by at least two million rupees.