Allocation of Rs25m of taxpayers money for ZA Bhutto's death anniversary is a gross misallocation of public funds
KARACHI: It has come to the attention of the Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan (PILAP) that a hefty sum of Rs25 million has been allocated to mark the death anniversary of Mr Zulfikar A. Bhutto on April 4, 2016. As an organisation that is working for public interest, PILAP believes that the allocation of such a large chunk of taxpayers’ money for the death anniversary of ZA Bhutto, is a gross misallocation of public funds.
This amount can be used far more effectively for the delivery of the fundamental needs of Sindh’s beleaguered masses. The average citizen of Sindh is poor and struggles daily to meet essential needs, such as clean water, quality education and basic shelter. Also, half of Sindh’s children are currently not enrolled in school. The Sindh Education Foundation educates children at a cost of Rs500 per head, per month. A simple calculation shows that this Rs25 million can be used to send at least 4,000 children to school for one whole year.
Additionally, under Article 19A of the Constitution of 1973, Pakistanis have the right to know how their hard-earned income, paid in good faith to the government as taxes, is being spent. And so, we would like to request the government of Sindh to honour the memory of one of the country’s greatest leaders by spending this Rs25 million on the education of Sindh’s children, rather than on ceremonies whose impact will end with the day.
Saad Amanullah Khan, President PILAP
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2016.
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