A dispute between National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif over salary matters has deepened, drawing fresh attention to the controversy surrounding lawmakers’ pay increases.

Sources report that after facing public criticism from Khawaja Asif, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has formally written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to clarify his position.

In the letter, Ayaz Sadiq asserted that he has no involvement or interest in salary matters.

He explained that any decision to increase salaries falls exclusively under the jurisdiction of the federal cabinet and the prime minister, stressing that he has never put forward any such proposal or demand.

The dispute began when Defence Minister Khawaja Asif accused Ayaz Sadiq of raising his own salary to Rs2.1 million and then attempting to deflect responsibility by claiming it was approved elsewhere.

Asif argued that politicians should avoid indulging in extravagant lifestyles.