A petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) requesting that Pakistan’s minimum wage be set to the equivalent of $1,000 per month, citing current inflation as a justification for the increase, reported 24NewsHD TV Channel on Wednesday.
The channel reported that the LHC Registrar’s Office raised an objection regarding the admissibility of the petition, and the case will now be reviewed as an objection case by Chief Justice Aaliya Neelam.
The petition, filed by Advocate Fahmida Nawaz, names all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Prime Minister of Pakistan as respondents, which the registrar's office flagged as grounds for objection.
In her petition, Advocate Fahmida argued that the current minimum wage of Rs 37,000, as per the Minimum Wages Act, is insufficient given the rising cost of living in Pakistan.
She urged the Lahore High Court to set a minimum wage of $1,000 to align with the prevailing inflation.
The 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Wednesday that the hearing could not proceed as scheduled due to the cancellation of the chief justice’s urgent case list, leading to a rescheduling of the case.
LHC Chief Justice Aaliya Neelam will decide whether to uphold or dismiss the registrar’s objections.