ISLAMABAD – A fresh political storm has erupted over the cost of private foreign travel by top Pakistani leaders, with President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent trip and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s London visit becoming the centre of an increasingly heated debate.
President’s House moved to put controversy surrounding Zardari’s foreign trip to rest, insisting that the visit was entirely private and paid for from the president’s personal resources.
According to the presidential spokesperson, President personally covered the cost of a privately chartered aircraft used for the journey. The expenses, the spokesperson said, included the aircraft, crew, parking, accommodation and other costs linked to the trip.
The clarification comes as questions over official and private travel by senior political figures continue to generate political friction.
The spotlight shifted to other leaders recent London visit, with opposition voices questioning the financial arrangements surrounding the trip.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari has strongly rejected the criticism, maintaining that the chief minister had already committed to paying the expenses herself. Bukhari said the controversy was being fuelled even before the visit had been formally wrapped up and the final expenditure could be calculated.
Her argument was that government financial procedures do not work like instant digital payments. According to the minister, expenses are first assessed, estimates are prepared and payments are subsequently processed through the prescribed official mechanism.
