Zardari’s foreign visits cost over Rs150m

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari since taking up the reins of office in September 2008 made nine foreign trips to eight countries which cost the next exchequer a whopping over Rs150 million.

Details of the president’s expenditures were presented before the National Assembly on Thursday by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in response to a question asked by Sumaira Yasir Rasheed.

According to a written reply submitted to the lower house of the parliament, President Zardari made his first trip to Britain and United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 12 to 18 along with an entourage of 16 people, which cost the national treasury Rs16.5 million.

His second visit was again to the United Kingdom and the United States of America from September 21-28 in which he was accompanied by 31 people. The trip cost the national kitty Rs61.8 million.

President Zardari then flew to the UAE from October 5 to 6 with 11 more people who were part of the official trip. According to the reply, Rs6 million were spent on this two-day visit.

The same month, President Zardari made an official visit to the People’s Republic of China for three days (October 14-17) with an entourage of 31 people for which the government had to pay Rs21 million.

Next he went to Saudi Arabia from November 4 to 5 along with an official entourage of 42 people at an expanse of Rs13 million. He again went to the UK and the USA for six days from November 12 to 18 along with 31 people, a visit which cost the government Rs27.5 million. UAE, which had been his frequent destination since becoming the president, he visited the country for the third time as head of the state from November 24 to 26 with an official delegation of 28 people at the cost of Rs6 million.

He was in Turkey for two days in December with an entourage of 25 people, whose travel expenditures have been estimated at Rs3 million.

His last official trip quoted in the written reply was to Afghanistan from December 18 to 20 and then again on January 6 to 7, 2009 which turned out to be the most economical visit in terms of expenditure —Rs2 million.

In another written reply, the house was informed that 53-member official delegation of Pakistan to the 63rd session of the United Nations General Assembly session cost Rs68.26 million to the national exchequer.

It is worth mentioning here that former president Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz made frequent foreign trips during their stints and came under scathing attacks by the opposition parties for the ‘unnecessary’ expenditures.

For example, for Gen Musharraf’s one of the last trips to Belgium, France, Switzerland and the UK along with an official delegation of 44 people from January 20 to 28, 2008, the government paid a massive Rs146 million. The former military strongman also visited China from April 10 to 15, 2008, which cost the national kitty Rs22 million.