Public funds used for Sharif rally in DG Khan

Government financial records were falsified to show that money had been used for a visit by Shahbaz.

LAHORE:

Nawaz Sharif appears to be conducting his whirlwind campaign tour partly at the public’s expense: the Punjab government spent approximately Rs4 million in arranging for the PML-N chief’s rally in Dera Ghazi Khan, despite the fact that Sharif holds no government office and is only the head of the province’s ruling party.

Sources told The Express Tribune that the Punjab government directed the commissioner of DG Khan division to make arrangements for Nawaz’s rally, providing Rs1 million to each of the four district coordination officers (DCOs) in the division.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the money was used to rent tents and over 9,000 chairs to be set up in a stadium. In addition local PML-N workers as well as patwaris were given money for fuel to gather party supporters to the rally.

Since it would be illegal to make arrangements for Nawaz’s visit, government financial records were falsified to show that the money had been used for a visit by Nawaz’s brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

“We can’t show Nawaz Sharif’s visit in DG Khan in our expenditures details since he is not entitled to this, so we have showed Shahbaz Sharif’s visit in our [expenditure] heads,” said one senior official in the DG Khan division administration.

DG Khan Commissioner Muhammad Tariq denied the allegations, saying they are baseless. When asked how the event was paid for, he smiled and said that “the party has borne all the expenses.”

Punjab government spokesperson Senator Pervaiz Rasheed did not answer phone calls from The Express Tribune seeking comment.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2011.