ISLAMABAD – Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad SaeedTuesday said the Federal Cabinet decided to recover billions of rupeesillegally spent by a former president, prime ministers and chief ministersfrom the national exchequer.
If the misused public money was not surrendered by the accused then the lawwould take its course of action against them, he said while addressing apress briefing on the cabinet meeting flanked by Special Assistant to thePrime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan.
The minister said former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani had set up fivecamp houses in Multan and Lahore despite having his own residences in thecities and all the expenses incurred there were footed from the nationalexchequer.
Similarly, former president Asif Ali Zardari had three camp offices whereasthe Sharif brothers (former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and ex-Punjab chiefminister Shehbaz Sharif) maintained five camp offices excluding the primeminister and chief minister houses, the minister said.
Murad mentioned that Shehbaz Sharif even declared Nawaz’s Jati Umraresidence in Raiwind as his camp office after the latter’s disqualificationby the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case.
He said a squad of some 790 to 1,722 police personnel was deputed at a timefor the security of Asif Ali Zardari, which had cost around Rs163.7137billion to the national kitty.“Nawaz Sharif spent about Rs 270 million on the fencing of his privateresidence of Jati Umra and a contingent of 2,753 policemen was deputed onits security.
Moreover, separate police squads were deployed for the security of theirchildren such as Hamza squad, Maryam squad and son-in-law Imran squad etc,”Murad added. The minister said Nawaz Sharif’s trip to London for hismedical check-up cost Rs 340 million as the special aeroplane had to madetwo trips to bring him back to Pakistan. In the first trip, the aircraftwaited for two days at a London airport and then returned to the countrywithout the former prime minister, he added.
His brother Shehbaz Sharif used the former prime minister’s plane for 556times and done shopping of luxury item of Rs 8.7259 billion during hisforeign sojourns, he added.Murad said former president Asif Ali Zardari had cost Rs 3.16 billion tothe national exchequer for his lavish shopping abraod.
Read Top Stories
He said Nawaz Sharif as prime minister made some 25 private visits toLondon costing Rs 1.835 billion and Asif Zardari as president made 69private tours to different destinations abroad costing Rs 1.421 billion.
Shehbaz Sharif soon after assuming charge as Punjab chief minister bought anew helicopter of his own choice for Rs 1.3 billion as the old one wasprobably uncomfortable for him, he added.
The minister said Imran Khan was living in his private residence at BaniGala despite being the prime minister. He even spent the money from his ownpocket on the construction of the road leading to his home despite beingthe country’s chief executive. He had also shunned using a chartered planefor foreign visits and was rather preferring commercial flights.
His visit to New York and Washington DC had cost only $ 68,000 in contrastto the former prime ministers, who used to spend hefty amount on suchvisits, Murad added.
He said the Federal Cabinet today made the big decision of recoveringillegally spent taxpayers money by the former rulers, besides of amendingrules for allocating special funds for camp offices.
