Pakistan, May 5 -- In a country where an honest living barely pays the bills, the federal cabinet just got a 140% raise. Let that sink in.

From Rs218,000 to a jaw-dropping Rs519,000 a month, that too, effective retroactively from January 1st, 2025. This is not just tone-deaf. This is galling. And it comes at a time when the state claims it can't afford to raise the minimum wage beyond Rs32,000, when pensioners are still waiting on adjustments that match inflation, and when dozens of state-run hospitals are operating on life support.

This isn't the first time lawmakers have quietly padded their own pockets while the rest of the country is asked to "tighten belts." In 2022, a similar increase for MNAs triggered backlash, but no reform. No...