The federal government told the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday that Rs 30.7 million were spent on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s recent trip to New York.
The deputy attorney general told the court that parliament had approved a fund for the premier’s foreign tours.
Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of LHC had previously warned the government of imposition of a fine if details of the visit’s expenses were not submitted in court. The judge observed that the court would see whether it has the jurisdiction to question the funds approved by parliament.
Petitioner Javed Iqbal Jafree had challenged the foreign tours of the prime minister along with his family and domestic help.
The petitioner alleged that the premier travelled along with his family on a special plane, stayed at expensive hotels, made personal business deals and shifted public money abroad. He also requested the court to put the prime minister’s and his family members’ names on the Exit Control List (ECL).
Barrister Jafree also requested that a mental examination of the prime minister be carried out as “he conveyed a bad image of the country by serving people local food items in foreign countries”.
The hearing was adjourned for a week as the petitioner’s counsel failed to appear before court on Thursday.