LAHORE: A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court challenging the increase in the salaries for the speaker, deputy speaker, ministers, and members of the Punjab Assembly. The petition filed by Advocate Azhar Siddique argues that inflation in the country is driving ordinary citizens to opt for suicide. It says people are suffering from unemployment and the cost of essential commodities, electricity, water and medicines has drastically been increased. It states that subsidies on utility stores have been withdrawn and taxes on government employees’ salaries have risen, with pensions and benefits also being reduced. It argues that government employees have been protesting against double standards and exploitative policies. The petition pleads that the Punjab Assembly recently approved a massive increase in the salaries of the speaker, deputy speaker, ministers and assembly members, mocking the struggles of ordinary citizens by increasing ministers’ salaries by up to 1,000 times. It highlights that the Constitution obligates the state to treat all citizens equally. The petition asks the court to order the reversal of the salary increases for the parliamentarians and also issue a stay order on the implementation of the impugned notification until a final decision is passed.