Pay packages unchanged for five years as Finance Division remains reluctant to approve proposed increases for universi
KARACHI:
Scientific researchers working at public universities across Pakistan have seen their salaries remain frozen for the past five years, and the Finance Division is reportedly unwilling to approve salary increases. Sources say that the 2026-27 federal budget is also unlikely to include any enhancement in their pay packages, including PhD and other professional allowances.
The prolonged salary stagnation and the absence of meaningful relief in the upcoming budget have heightened concerns over a growing brain drain, with fears that many of the country’s most talented researchers may seek opportunities abroad.
Researchers struggling with economic pressures say they are increasingly forced to take on externally funded projects to supplement their incomes, often at the expense of their core research activities.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, a researcher working under the Tenure Track System (TTS) said, “We now try to secure scientific projects from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and other institutions to make ends meet. Although this affects our primary research work, we have little choice.”
The Tenure Track System was introduced by renowned scientist and former HEC chairman Atta-ur-Rahman to attract highly qualified academics and researchers to universities. Most TTS faculty members hold PhD degrees from foreign institutions. However, due to stagnant salaries, many researchers have already left academia, leaving only about 3,600 TTS researchers in the system.
Sources said that when TTS appointments were first introduced, salaries were roughly double those of the Basic Pay Scale (BPS) system because TTS faculty were subject to significantly stricter performance indicators and their work was reviewed every three years by international experts.
However, after five years without salary adjustments, TTS salaries have fallen well behind those of BPS faculty members. A task force established by the Planning Commission of Pakistan under the leadership of Ahsan Iqbal recommended in March this year that TTS salaries be aligned with those of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics pay structure, along with a 35 per cent premium.
The recommendations were subsequently approved by the Senate Standing Committee on Finance, which directed the Finance Division to implement salary increases, based on the proposed formula. The HEC has also formally written to the Finance Division on the matter.
Despite these developments, sources say the Finance Division remains reluctant to accept the recommendations.
According to available figures, a BPS professor at a university currently earns nearly Rs500,000 per month, while a TTS professor takes home around Rs350,000 after tax deductions. Similarly, a BPS associate professor earns approximately Rs400,000, compared with around Rs250,000 for a TTS associate professor. A BPS assistant professor earns roughly Rs325,000, whereas a TTS assistant professor receives around Rs150,000 after taxes.
Several researchers at the University of Karachi’s Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IBCCS) continue to produce high-quality research under the TTS framework, but their salaries remain frozen despite their academic contributions.
