Moonis Elahi, son of Parvez Elahi, has said that the political assistants of the former chief minister weren’t paid anything from the exchequer, but a report published in the media debunks the claim as false.
It was reported a few days ago that appointments were made in 31 government departments on political basis during the term of the ex-CM Punjab.
It was revealed as the chief secretary of the province sought details of political appointments in different government departments.
The report had also said that the appointed persons were handed perks as is the routine, while they were given vehicles on the verbal directives from the Chief Minister’s House.
But Moonis, in response to a tweet by a journalist, said, “All political assistants appointed by him were in honorary capacity. Zero was the exact amount given to them from exchequer.”
The report published by Geo today refuted the claim, quoting officials. It said that 14 political assistants, out of a total of 117, were handed vehicles, petrol, and allowance for maintenance and drivers.
It also quoted one of the officials as saying that only five of the 14 cars have so far been returned to the government.
It’s pertinent to mention here that the political aides were de-notified after caretaker CM Mohsin Naqvi took office.
According to an analysis, there’s no way forward for the economy without slashing the military and bureaucracy expenditure.
Economist Dr Kaiser Bengali told ‘Khabar Say Aagay’ host Raza Rumi that the situation isn’t in the hands of the government; the decision is to be made by the army and the bureaucracy.
He also called for abolishing 15 to 20 ministries and shutting down departments such as the post office.
Pakistan’s ongoing talks with the IMF could result into the release of the much-awaited $1.18bn, as the country continues to battle a critical financial crisis.
It was delayed for two months owing to the government’s unwillingness to accept some conditions put forth by the Fund.
The country had entered a $6 billion programme of the global lender in 2019, which was later increased to $7 billion.
On Jan 24, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan had shown its willingness to the IMF to enter a deal. The statement came as the country continued to battle a financial crisis.
