Not incorrect to say that some of the federal and provincial budgets is utilised for security to government personnel
FAISALABAD: A report recently published in a local daily highlighted the use of elite forces in Punjab for VVIP security. This is not the first time state resources have been misused by government dignitaries for their personal use. From security forces to land allotted for development projects, the federal and provincial governments are equally involved in the unlawful use of resources which should otherwise be used to serve the public.
Therefore, it would not be incorrect to say that a chunk of the federal and provincial budgets is utilised for provision of security to government personnel. However, in the case of security forces, deployment of heavy security for VVIPs recreates the security void it was primarily supposed to fill.
While the security threat to both the government officials and the public cannot be underestimated, to maintain law and order it is imperative that the government must assign separate security allotments for both. And as state personnel are not entitled to such benefits beyond certain limits, strict scrutiny should be carried out for those who exceed the limit.
Hassan Saeed
Published in The Express Tribune, September 23rd, 2017.
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