More than Rs900 million consumed during ex-PM Imran Khan’s three years term; details presented before the Senate

ISLAMABAD, Jan 17 (SABAH): The details of expenses of the Prime Minister’s Office from 2019 to 2021 were presented in the Senate of Pakistan on Tuesday.

The Senate session was held under the chairmanship of Chairman Senate Mir Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani.  During the question hour, PPP Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi said former prime minister and Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan talked about coming to office by a bicycle and preached simplicity but traveled by a helicopter. The senator said according to the data, Imran Khan spent Rs1 billion as the prime minister in the last three years.

Minister of State for Law and Justice Senator Malik Shahadat Awan said that during three years a budget of Rs1.17 billion was allocated for the Prime Minister’s Office while the expenses remained more than Rs900 million.

In response to the allegations, Opposition Leader in Senate Senator Dr. Shehzad Waseem asked for the details for flood funds and said how much and where those funds were allocated. “They had to submit the details of the crowd that they had taken to the conference in Egypt. Where did the money go that was taken from the world conference, or they are having the intention to spend the money for their personal use?” he interrogated.

On Senator Shahzad Wasim’s question, Shahadat Awan said an irrelevant question had been asked. “If a written question is submitted according to the rules, I will provide all the details,” he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Petroleum Senator Dr. Musadik Masood Malik informed the Senate that currently the government imposed a ban on expansion in the domestic network due to the shortage of gas in the country.

Speaking in the Senate session during question hour, he said the same would be reviewed upon improvement in gas supplies and removal of pricing distortion.

The minister said that new policies regarding gas production would be brought in the next two weeks, adding, the results of these policies could be seen in the next four years.

To a question, he said that the total indigenous production of natural gas and volume with a percentage share of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the last three years was 11.09 MMCF in 2019-20, 12.27 MMCF in 2020-21 and 12.00 MMCF in 2021-22.

Furthermore, he said that this ban was imposed by the previous government and added it even changed the OGRA rules. He said that as per the rules, gas was provided to those provinces where it is being produced. It is in the deep interest of the country to continue the ban on gas connections till the end of its shortage, he added. Later on the Senate session was adjourned till Friday at 10:30 AM.