PML-N’s Rana contests PTI govt’s austerity claims

Minister presents comparison between amounts spent on foreign trips by Imran and other rulers

ISLAMABAD: A minister on Saturday defended the austerity measures taken by the federal government by comparing the amounts spend on foreign trips by previous rulers with costs of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s foreign tours. However, some opposition MPs taunted the PM for relying on his rich friends.

Taking the floor during the budget debate at the National Assembly, PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said the total expenditure of the Prime Minister House and the Prime Minister Secretariat in the last year of the PML-N was Rs980 million.

“The PTI had made a hue and cry over this expenditure and claimed to bring it down but in the first year of their rule, the PTI government spent Rs1060million on the PM House and secretariat.

“In their second year of rule, this expenditure has increased to Rs1170million. It is said that the visitors don’t get anything there expect teas and biscuits. So is it the bill for these items?” Sanaullah said.

Responding to these claims, State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan Rs454 million had been allocated for the PM House and secretariat in the last budget and Rs137million of the allocated amount have been saved.

Khan took the opportunity to make a comparison of the amounts spend by the former rulers and PM Imran on international tours. He said former president Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif respectively spend $1.3 million and $1.1million during their visit to the United Nations (UN).

“Imran Khan spent $162,000 when he went to address the UN General Assembly,” he said.

He said Zardari and Nawaz – who respectively belong to the PPP and the PML-N – spent $0.7million and $0.549 million on their trips to the United States. But Imran spent only $67,000 on his US visit.

According to the minister, former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gillani during his visit to Davos spent $0.46million, former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi spent $0.5million in is visit to the city where the World Economic Forum meeting takes place while Nawaz spent $0.7million in his Davos trip.

The minister further alleged that the former rulers expanded their business empires while they were in power with Asif Ali Zardari establishing new sugar mills and Nawaz Sharif setting up new steel mills.

PML-N’s Sanaullah replied to the minister, asking the premier to spend governmental funds on his visits rather than relying on his ATM machines – his rich friends and party members– who, according to him, spend Rs5billion on the premier to mint Rs500billion.