The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif seems to be in two minds as on one hand the premier has imposed a fresh ban on foreign visits by government officials while on the other hand it has chosen to ignore certain bureaucrats, who have proceeded abroad on trips paid for by the exchequer over the past few days, a report in the local media said on Monday.
PM Sharif had imposed a similar ban in 2013 soon after assuming office, but even then government officials travelled abroad in official capacity.
On October 27, a fresh circular re-imposed the ban as part of austerity measures to cut government’s spending on non-development expenditure.
In violation of the ban, the report said that Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) Managing Director Chaudhry Kabir left for China for a week-long official visit a day after the PM promulgated the fresh ban.
According to the Dawn report, Kabir’s trip to China was paid for by funds generated by Flashman’s Hotel in Rawalpindi, which is a PTDC concern. The corporation is bearing an expenditure of over Rs 500,000 to cover the MD’s travel expenses at a time when employees of the cash-strapped department have not been receiving their monthly wages on time.
Another senior PTDC official, acting Manager Publicity & Promotion Rana Mukhtar also proceeded to China on October 28. The two officials’ visits, though unconnected, may have to do with recent government efforts to privatize the fledgling corporation, said the report.
Another senior government official, Arshad Mirza, who is an additional secretary at the Petroleum Ministry, recently returned from an official visit to the US.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sharif’s visits in three months to Turkey, US, UK, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Afghanistan have so far cost the government around Rs 168 million.
The Lahore High Court is currently hearing a petition challenging the PM’s foreign tours.