Summary The revelation comes only days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced austerity plan
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - The foreign trips of the coalition government during the first nine months have cost the national exchequer nearly Rs70 million, the National Assembly was told on Monday.
The lower house was informed in detail about the exorbitant expenditure on foreign junkets of cabinet members and the purchase of protocol vehicles.
The revelation comes only a couple of days after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a national austerity plan amid a severe financial crisis.
To a question asked by Ghous Bux Mahar of the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), the lower house was informed that Rs63.71 million was spent on the foreign visits of 23 members of the federal cabinet during the first nine months of the coalition government.
However, according to the reply submitted by the minister in charge of the Cabinet Division, the list contained only the visits which were routed through the Cabinet Division.
The minister suggested the questioner could approach the relevant divisions for “complete information”.
