No salary or pension hikes planned for employees

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced there will be no salary or pension increases for government employees in the upcoming budget. Current pay scales and allowances will remain unchanged. The Finance Ministry highlighted ongoing financial challenges, with external debts reaching $126.141 billion, or 43.03% of GDP, as of June 2023. Additionally, the commerce Ministry reported a significant trade deficit of $154 billion over the past five years, with exports at $136 billion and imports at $291 billion.