Perks and pleasures: Princely budget for presidency, PM secretariat

The stated expenses fall under “staff household and allowances of the president.”


Zia Khan June 02, 2012

ISLAMABAD:


For all its rhetoric to provide ‘relief’ to the masses, the establishment is in no mood to sacrifice the lavish lifestyles of top government functionaries.


The budget figures presented to the parliament on Friday reveal an exorbitant increase in the money allocated to the president house, the PM secretariat, the National Assembly and the Senate.

The huge complex housing President Asif Ali Zardari at the foothills of Margalla Hills in Islamabad will be maintained at a princely sum of Rs617 million during the fiscal year 2012-2013. The same figure for the outgoing year stood at Rs483 million, showing a considerable increase of 27.8 per cent or Rs134 million.

Allocations for the president house were summed up in just one sentence in an apparent bid to downplay the matter. The stated expenses fell under “staff household and allowances of the president.”

PM secretariat

Just a few yards away from Zardari’s presidency stands another tall building with sprawling lawns and high balconies. This complex is the prime minister’s secretariat. The budget allocated to the premier’s secretariat is Rs702.83 million, up 28% from the Rs546.58 allocated in the previous fiscal year. However, the secretariat ended up spending Rs741 million – far more than the designated sum.

The parliament

In the debate as to with which institution lies real constitutional supremacy – the emerging parliament, the assertive judiciary or the powerful military – the proposed spending plan makes an emphatic suggestion.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2012.

COMMENTS (23)

Anwar Hakam | 11 years ago | Reply

This news report erroneously creates the impression that Rs. 617 and Rs. 703 millions are spent on Zardari and Gilani individually. Or, is it that these two individuals live more exuberantly than their respective predecessors? To me this government, just like the previous ones, acts more like a suspension bridge where it uses 90 percent of its total strength to support its own weight leaving only 10 percent for the load it carries. Then again it is not about how much this poor nation is spending on maintaining these offices. It is more about what these offices are doing for the people. And if one would to judge this government on the basis of its performance, especially, in terms of economic and social development, foreign relations, safety and security for the people, respect for the law of the land and strengthening of national institutions and education, it is definitely going to score dismally. And bearing in mind its performance this government should not have been in place to begin with. Any money spent on them is a total waste.

Yousaf Hyat | 11 years ago | Reply

Combine all these expenses with the foreign mission expenses from around the world and you shall have a Tsunami of rupees floating about ...Meanwhile the Middle Class is getting beaten to pulp while the poor are getting mangled ....

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