Lahore [Pakistan], June 20 : The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has criticised the Punjab government for spending more than Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 7.5 billion on 283 luxury vehicles for VIPs while millions of people in the province are struggling with rising inflation, unemployment and collapsed public services, Dawn reported.
In a statement shared on Thursday on X, PTI Punjab spokesperson Shayan Bashir said the luxury vehicles being purchased by the Punjab government include 10 bulletproof Toyota Land Cruisers and V8s worth PKR 500 million each for senior police officials, 48 protocol cars worth PKR 900m, and 76 vehicles for ministers and senior bureaucrats worth PKR 710 million.
According to him, the Punjab government would spend more on fuel and maintenance. He stated, "Luxuries are utterly out of touch with the realities faced by ordinary citizens."
Shayan Bashir said the budget documents reveal an increase in spending for elite offices. He said the Governor House budget had increased by 870 per cent and has now been set at Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 1.53 billion, while provincial ministers' budgets rose by 204 per cent to PKR 1.07 billion, Dawn reported.
He said the Punjab Chief Minister's Office received a hike of 19 per cent, reaching PKR 1.46bn, while the Punjab Assembly's budget increased by 47pc to PKR 7.38 billion. He said the commissioners' offices overspent some PKR 319 million in 2024, and the next fiscal year's budget stood at PKR 1.85 billion.
The budget of the Chief Minister's inspection team increased by 26 per cent after 'unauthorised' spending of PKR 182 million. The PTI said this "reckless" increase in spending was a political indictment of the government's priorities.
The PTI said the basic sectors like education, agriculture and health remained underfunded. The party spokesperson criticised the government for abandoning farmers with no procurement policies or crop-loss support, and low-income families were facing problems due to the government's neglect.
Imran Khan-founded party called for a thorough forensic audit by NAB into all luxury vehicle purchases and budget increases. It called for a reversal of the decision related to expenditure and a criminal action against those responsible for diverting public funds, Dawn reported.
The PTI leadership said it would fight this betrayal in the Assembly, in courts and across the Punjab until the people of the province get the resources and not only the few elite. Bashir stated, "This budget is a clear declaration that the Punjab government values its own luxury far above the survival and dignity of its citizens."
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