Pak govt. to recover money spent on ‘luxuries’ of former top leaders

Islamabad, July 17 (IANS): The federal government in Pakistan has decided to recover a huge amount spent from the state treasury on the “royal expenses” of its former rulers in the last one decade.

According to Urdu daily Nawa-i-Waqt, this was stated by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, Firdous Ashiq Awan, and Communication Minister Murad Saeed who briefed the media on the cabinet meeting.

Awan said the cabinet expressed concern over “unchecked expenses” incurred by the treasury on the “security, entertainment and camp offices” during the tenures of former Presidents Asif Ali Zardari, Mamnoon Hussain and former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif, Yousaf Raza Gillani, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

The Cabinet decided that people’s money in the form of taxes spent on “luxuries” of these leaders would be recovered from them, the daily quoted the two ministers as saying.

Communication Minister Murad Saeed said that in 2017, former President Zardari had 184 vehicles. In 2015 US trip of formr PM Sharif, the state spent more than $400,000, the daily quoted Saeed as saying.