President General Pervez Musharraf and his wife had spent Rs1.5 billion from national kitty on their foreign trips during the last five years, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi disclosed in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Qureshi also disclosed that the president took at least 1,325 visitors along with him in 37 trips since February 2003. Musharraf's visit to the USA to attend the book launching ceremony of his autobiography "In the Line of Fire" turned out be the most expensive trip, as it cost Rs227 million.
Likewise, Musharraf's desperate visit to Abu Dhabi to hold a historic meeting with the late Benazir Bhutto on July 26 2007 to seek her help after restoration of the chief justice of Pakistan on July 20, cost Rs15 million as the president took 43 people along with him.
Musharraf paid eight visits to Saudi Arabia in these five years, and Rs142 million were spent on his these trips where he also performed Umrah. The latest trip of Musharraf to the European countries cost the nation Rs146 million amid the confirmation of British foreign office that the president himself had expressed the wish to visit London as no official request was extended from the host country. In the same trip, Musharraf stayed at a hotel in London on Park Lane where one night room rent was Rs1.8 million.
In these five years, President Musharraf visited a total of 80 foreign countries and the USA, Saudi Arabia and the UK were the most visited destinations. The president paid six official visits to the USA which were made in the name of improving bilateral relationship between the two states.
The most expensive trip in the history of Pakistan was made to Belgium, Cuba, the USA and the UK where Musharraf along with 52 entourage spent Rs227 million within 16 days. Earlier, PML-N MNA Raja Mohammad Asad Khan had asked the foreign minister to give the details of President Musharraf's visits abroad during the period from January 2003 to February 2008 along with the expenditures incurred and the names of entourage of those visits separately along with the reasons of nominations.
Talking to The News, MNA Raja Asad said that he was surprised to see the details of the foreign trips of Musharraf. He said this was the taxpayers money and was spent in such a manner which had greatly disappointed him.
The major beneficiary of these foreign trips after Musharraf were the personal staff of the president, who accompanied him almost on every visit. Personal and security staff always exceeded the official members of such trips.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmad accompanied Musharraf more than any minister as he was with him for eight times. Followed by the minister, Sumaira Malik went with Musharraf five times and Hina Rabbani Khar to four visits.
According to other details, Musharraf spent Rs21 million on his trip to Russia, Rs22 million to Malaysia, Rs7.4 million to Saudi Arabia, Rs17.2 million on the USA, UK, Germany and France, Rs28 million on Tunisia, Algeria, Rabat, Rs38 million to the USA, Canada, Rs33 million to Malaysia, Rs28 million to China, Korea, Rs29 million to Turkey, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Rs12 million to Sweden, Finland, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Rs31 million to USA, Netherlands, Italy, Rs60 million to UAE Rs5 million to Afghanistan, Rs90 million to Kyrgzsatan, Uzbekistan, Rs20 million to India, Indonesia, Philippines, Rs37 million to UAE and Qatar, Rs9 million to Australia and New Zealand, Rs40 million to New York Tampa, Rs53 million to Saudi Arabia, Rs11.4 million to Kuwait, Yeman, Saudi Arabia, Rs1 million to Switzerland, Norway, Dubai Rs45 million to China, Rs168 million to UAE, Rs0.3 million to Afghanistan Rs3.4 million to Belgium, Cuba, the USA, UK Rs227 million to Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia Rs54 million to Indonesia, Malaysia, Rs56 million to Iran and Turkey, Rs11 million to Spain, Poland, Bosnia and Turkey, Rs44 million to Saudi Arabia and UAE, Rs14 million to Afghanistan, and lately his trip to France, Switzerland, the UK and Belgium cost Rs146 million.
Source: THE NEWS today
By Rauf Klasra
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