File photo of PM Imran Khan chairing a meeting of the federal cabinet. PHOTO: RADIO PAKISTAN
Speaking during the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan said TV channels should not be allowed to give airtime to any convicted person.
The development comes in the wake of TV channels airing the news conference and interviews of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, who was convicted by an accountability court in the Avenfield corruption reference in July last year.
The cabinet was also informed that former president Asif Ali Zardari and deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif had spent Rs3.26 billion on foreign visits between 2008 and 2017.
The prime minister said the former rulers would be held accountable for each penny of the taxpayers' money they had squandered.
Briefing the media after the meeting, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood said the government would raise the issue of TV channels giving airtime to convicts and under-trial prisoners, a clear reference to Zardari, whose interview on private TV news channel was taken off air a few minutes after it started.
"Someone who faces charges of making billions illegally misusing his office and stashing that money abroad gives an interview to the media," the minister lamented.
"Nowhere in the world where there is democracy is the media allowed to give coverage to under-trial prisoners."
The minister said an under-trial prisoner could give an interview to the media if they were out on bail. "However, you are out for a brief period [through a production order to attend parliamentary proceedings] and you start giving interviews and have flowers showered on you."
The minister maintained that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government believed in the freedom of press but would not allow something to take place that was unseen in a democracy anywhere in the world.
Giving details about the former rulers' trips abroad, Mehmood said Zardari had spent Rs1.42 billion on his 134 foreign tours – during which he stayed 257 days abroad -- from 2008 to 2013.
He also travelled abroad 59 times in his personal capacity, 48 of those visits were to Dubai.
The minister added that Zardari spent Rs100 million on these personal visits, gave away gifts worth Rs45 million while he was abroad and his hotel expenditures were around Rs55 million.
Around 3,227 people accompanied Zardari during his trips at separate times.
Giving details about the foreign tours of Nawaz, Mehmood said Nawaz had spent Rs1.84 billion on trips abroad during his four-year tenure as prime minister from 2013 to 2017. He stayed abroad for nine months during this period. The minister said Nawaz travelled to London 24 times, and 20 of those trips were in his personal capacity. He spent around Rs223.9 million on his trips to London, Rs177.5 million on his 12 visits to Saudi Arabia, Rs205.8 million on nine times he went to China and Rs360.8 million on his five trips to the US. Mehmood said the former prime minister had spent Rs30 million on tips and gave away gifts worth Rs60 million.
The minister maintained that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif, while he was holding the portfolios of foreign affairs, defence and energy ministries, was also working as adviser to a company using an Iqama and drawing a salary of up to Rs1.6 million. Mehmood said Asif had violated his oath and the cabinet had ordered the Federal Investigation Agency to probe into the matter.
The minister said former prime ministers belonging to the PML-N and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, had also wasted taxpayers' money on foreign visits.
Mehmood said Prime Minister Imran Khan would focus on keeping expenditures to a minimum during his upcoming trip to the US on the invitation of President Donald Trump.
The foreign affairs minister and security staff would stay in three-star hotels.
Speaking about other cabinet decisions, the minister said a committee had been formed for the implementation of the recommendations of Dr Ishrat Husain for cutting down government expenditures and departmental reforms. Dr Husain's report recommends transferring the assets of privatising 43 departments and handing over 14 departments to the provincial governments, the Islamabad Capital Territory and Gilgit-Baltistan. It has further recommended abolishing eight departments, merging 35, revamping 17 and the federal government retaining 324 of them.
The minister said Prime Minister Imran Khan had ordered keeping a check on the prices of essential items. Besides, it has also been decided that citizens of Qatar would be facilitated by issuing them a visa on their arrival to the country.
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