Economic crisis: Pak ministers unwilling to return luxury cars, still using SUVs...
Pakistan's economy is struggling, and the country is waiting for a much-needed USD 1.1 billion tranche of funding from the IMF.
PremiumA few days ago, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced several austerity measures to save 200 billion rupees annually. He asked the cabinet ministers and advisers to forgo luxury cars and their salaries due to the ongoing economic crisis. However, more than half of the luxury vehicles given to cabinet members and other officials had not been returned yet.
Many senior bureaucrats were using official sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and sedan cars above 1800cc despite the approved austerity drive in February this year, according to a report by Dawn news.
“The policy has not impressed the senior judiciary and parliamentary forums," a meeting of the monitoring committee on the implementation of austerity measures said.
Sources said, “The meeting was presided over by Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar. In a compliance report, it was told that out of 30 luxury vehicles, 14 had been returned by cabinet members, but 16 are still in use."
Expressing concern over the non-return of luxury vehicles by cabinet ministers and other functionaries, the meeting directed the cabinet division to get back the luxury cars within three days. It also deliberated upon the withdrawal of use of security vehicles, Dawn reported.
Under these austerity measures, all federal ministers and government offices in Pakistan were directed to reduce expenditure by 15% and he had also asked his ministers along with advisers to forgo salaries, allowances, luxury cars, foreign trips, and business class travel.
The ministers agreed to the measures voluntarily at that time and said that all cabinet members will surrender their salaries and perks, and they will pay all of their utility bills from their pockets.
Pakistan's economy is struggling, and the country is waiting for a much-needed USD 1.1 billion tranche of funding from the IMF, which is based in Washington. The crisis-hit country has implemented a series of policy measures including increased taxes, higher energy prices, and increasing interest rates to the highest in 25 years to unlock funding from its stalled IMF $6.5 billion loan program.
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