Public funds being misused to win polls: PEW

The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Sunday said politicians are recklessly spending public funds and misusing power to ensure victory in upcoming election.
It is amazing that tax fraud is a punishable offence while wastage of public funds on controversial projects is not, it said.
Politicians simply do not give much thought to long-term consequences of their decisions preferring short-term electoral successes, said PEW President Dr Murtaza Mughal.
He said that many recent decisions were examples of abuse of position as these steps had nothing to do with welfare of people but were aimed to support influential business lobbies in return of their support during the elections.
Dr Mughal said that the Punjab government has been distributing laptops and yellow cabs while the federal government has outshined it by wasting away billions.
The coalition government is spending Rs 50 billion annually on the controversial Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), while the major chunk of money rose to support the flood-affected people has been plundered, he said.
Similarly, recent 14.3 per cent hike in the wheat support price will not benefit farmers or commoners but the rural politicians; people will have to spend some Rs 360 billion on food alone, he said.
Dr Mughal said that the government which was already spending Rs 436 billion on purchase of food items would have to get more loans from banks to purchase wheat on the new price.
He said that restriction on import of used cars was also a decision to benefit auto mafia which does not want to compete to ensure windfall evident from their balance sheets. Profits of a major automaker increased by 25 percent, while another car assembler’s profit climbed almost fourfolds.
He also criticised the TCP for promoting interests of sugar barons by buying sugar at hefty rates. Provision of gas to the textile industry on the cost of masses and economy is also a step to ensure election victory.