Austerity helps save PM House, PMO expenses

KARACHI: The government has saved 49 percent expenditure of the Prime Minister’s House and 29 percent expenditure of the PM’s Office (PMO) through austerity measures during its two-and-a-half-year rule, official documents claim.

During the PPP regime, former president Asif Ali Zardari had two camp offices, which cost the state kitty approximately Rs3.6 billion. During the PML-N’s government, the Raiwind camp office for the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif spent Rs4.3 billion, while former chief minister Shahbaz Sharif used Rs572 million for his two camp offices.

Former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani spent Rs570 million on his five camp offices, while the incumbent Prime Minister Imran Khan does not have any camp office. Documents showed that in 2018, the expenditure of the Prime Minister’s House was Rs590 million that was reduced to Rs339 million in 2019 and to Rs280 million in 2020.

The Prime Minister’s Office expenses were also reduced through austerity measures, as these were Rs514 million in 2018, Rs305 million in 2019 and Rs334 million in 2020. According to the documents, the yearly expenditure of the Prime Minister’s House is as low as Rs180 million. Interestingly, the prime minister did not give any discretionary grant, gift and cash award from the PM’s House.

Yusuf Raza Gilani conducted 48 official visits, which cost the national exchequer as much as Rs572 million, while his successor Raja Pervaiz Ashraf conducted nine official visits costing Rs107 million to the state kitty.

Nawaz Sharif made 92 official visits costing the state kitty Rs1.8 billion, while his successor Shahid Khaqan Abbasi made 19 official visits incurring an expenditure of Rs260 million. Incumbent prime minister Imran Khan conducted 26 official visits, which cost Rs176 million.

Official documents further revealed that Asif Ali Zardari spent Rs3.6 billion on his two camp offices, while 245 government vehicles and 656 security officials were also with him. Nawaz Sharif made Raiwind his camp office and deployed 2,717 police officials for security costing Rs4.3 billion, the biggest amount ever.