President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari’s recent visit to the UK cost the national exchequer a whopping Rs 60 million that is around £400,000 according to a conservative estimate.
The president’s spokesman, however, claims that the figures appear to be ridiculous. Zardari and his entourage arrived in London on June 26 and remained in the UK till July 6. Of his 11-day stay, the president had only three days of official engagements. The rest was a “private visit”, according to officials.
The president stayed at the 5-star Hayat Regency Hotel, which is favourite with super-rich Arab Sheikhs and remains jam-packed in peak summer season. He spent most of his time there in meetings with his close confidants and business friends.
He ventured out only once for a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street besides a brief sojourn to Edinburgh to attend his youngest daughter Asifa Bhutto Zardari’s passing out ceremony.
During his week-long stay, Zardari, who is also co-chairman of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), avoided meetings with local party leaders in the UK, who spoke to The News of their utter disappointment over the president’s indifferent attitude towards them.
Investigation carried out by The News has found that the expenses incurred on the president’s visit here are nearly half a million pound. It is learnt that the president stayed in Royal Suite of the hotel, which has a rent tag of £7,000 per day.
A total of 34 rooms were occupied by the president’s entourage at a “discounted” rate of £350 per room per day, according to receipts seen by The News, and some rooms were not vacated even after the president had checked out. The presidential aides travelled in the business class for which the government bought 15 tickets. The only noble exception here was presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar, who often travels in the economy class.
On June 29, the president took a private jet to fly to Edinburgh where he attended his daughter Asifa Bhutto’s passing out ceremony. The flight from London to Edinburgh and back cost £19,000, according to the receipt also seen by this correspondent. During the president’s stay in London, a fleet of 26 cars was hired for £45 per car per day.
A spokesperson at the Pakistan High Commission said all the queries relating to the expenditures should be directed to the Foreign Office in Pakistan. The spokesperson did not say who paid the cost of the private part of the visit and whether any proof existed.
These revelations surfaced as Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani arrived here last night (Monday) for a visit, which is both official and private. The private leg of the tour relates to the graduation ceremony of his son today at the Brunnel University.
Gilani is also scheduled to meet some cabinet ministers, besides addressing the Pakistani business community, according to the officials of the Pakistan High Commission here. Political analysts and leaders of the Pakistan diaspora here, however, said almost every aspect of the Pak-UK relations was discussed in Zardari’s talks with the British leaders early this month, therefore, nothing significant would transpire in the talks Gilani is going to hold.
Some Pakistanis, in their talks with The News, appeared sceptical whether such visits could mean anything to the welfare of Pakistan, saying these only serve as a freebie to the privileged ruling elite, who easily blur a distinction between private and official engagements and spend public money for personal purposes.
The two VVIP visits from Pakistan come nearly a year after Zardari’s previous visit to the UK, which caused a lot of fury when the president indulged in luxury while thousands of Pakistanis were drowning in massive floods.
The president’s visit to the UK from August 3 to 7, 2010 cost the taxpayers of Pakistan million of rupees and became the subject of intense scrutiny at the national and international levels. During that travel also, the president took a private jet to fly to Cardiff from Farnborough to meet his studying daughters there, at a cost of £16,000.
However, there was much more to that presidential visit for the international media. Photographs printed in the Pakistani and international media showed Zardari, wearing jeans in Normandy, France, and flying in a French air force helicopter to his stately home - the 16th century chateau, built for the widow of King Philippe VI - in the French countryside.
The pictures were flashed around the world to show the ‘joyride’ lifestyle of a president, whose nation was ravaged by the worst ever floods. This year, the situation is even worse, according to the media reports. Price hike, power outages, lawlessness and political friction are at an all-time high.
Official sources here and in Islamabad have confirmed that both the president and the prime minister had not contributed even a single penny for the expenses incurred on the private legs of their visits, neither this time nor on the previous occasions.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s recent visit to Britain, however, was a study in contrast. He arrived in Britain on an official trip but his strict order for the visiting ministers and lawmakers was to stay at the houses of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers and to draft their help for local transportation to the official meetings.
Sharif’s entourage, barring three bureaucrats, stayed at private houses and used public transport to the official meetings or were taken around by PML-N workers. Sharif made it a point to mention in his public speeches that he would not use the public money for foreign expenditures.
Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar he did not agree with the amount spent on the President’s private visit to London saying” “the figures appear to be ridiculous. The Foreign office will have a correct figures.”
He said he would check with the Foreign office after returning from Saudi Arabia, where he accompanied President Asif Ali Zardari on his two-day official visit. When contacted a senior official of the Presidency, who did not want to be named, stated that there is general practice that the President himself bears the expenses of his private visit. “However, it is to be checked in this particular case”.
However, the official stated that the Foreign office was responsible for bearing the expenses of the entourage of the president. “The foreign office would have full details of the expenditures incurred on the visit,” the official stated. Efforts were made to contact the Foreign Office spokesperson but she did not take the calls. Shame Zardari Shame.
The president’s spokesman, however, claims that the figures appear to be ridiculous. Zardari and his entourage arrived in London on June 26 and remained in the UK till July 6. Of his 11-day stay, the president had only three days of official engagements. The rest was a “private visit”, according to officials.
The president stayed at the 5-star Hayat Regency Hotel, which is favourite with super-rich Arab Sheikhs and remains jam-packed in peak summer season. He spent most of his time there in meetings with his close confidants and business friends.
He ventured out only once for a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street besides a brief sojourn to Edinburgh to attend his youngest daughter Asifa Bhutto Zardari’s passing out ceremony.
During his week-long stay, Zardari, who is also co-chairman of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), avoided meetings with local party leaders in the UK, who spoke to The News of their utter disappointment over the president’s indifferent attitude towards them.
Investigation carried out by The News has found that the expenses incurred on the president’s visit here are nearly half a million pound. It is learnt that the president stayed in Royal Suite of the hotel, which has a rent tag of £7,000 per day.
A total of 34 rooms were occupied by the president’s entourage at a “discounted” rate of £350 per room per day, according to receipts seen by The News, and some rooms were not vacated even after the president had checked out. The presidential aides travelled in the business class for which the government bought 15 tickets. The only noble exception here was presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar, who often travels in the economy class.
On June 29, the president took a private jet to fly to Edinburgh where he attended his daughter Asifa Bhutto’s passing out ceremony. The flight from London to Edinburgh and back cost £19,000, according to the receipt also seen by this correspondent. During the president’s stay in London, a fleet of 26 cars was hired for £45 per car per day.
A spokesperson at the Pakistan High Commission said all the queries relating to the expenditures should be directed to the Foreign Office in Pakistan. The spokesperson did not say who paid the cost of the private part of the visit and whether any proof existed.
These revelations surfaced as Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani arrived here last night (Monday) for a visit, which is both official and private. The private leg of the tour relates to the graduation ceremony of his son today at the Brunnel University.
Gilani is also scheduled to meet some cabinet ministers, besides addressing the Pakistani business community, according to the officials of the Pakistan High Commission here. Political analysts and leaders of the Pakistan diaspora here, however, said almost every aspect of the Pak-UK relations was discussed in Zardari’s talks with the British leaders early this month, therefore, nothing significant would transpire in the talks Gilani is going to hold.
Some Pakistanis, in their talks with The News, appeared sceptical whether such visits could mean anything to the welfare of Pakistan, saying these only serve as a freebie to the privileged ruling elite, who easily blur a distinction between private and official engagements and spend public money for personal purposes.
The two VVIP visits from Pakistan come nearly a year after Zardari’s previous visit to the UK, which caused a lot of fury when the president indulged in luxury while thousands of Pakistanis were drowning in massive floods.
The president’s visit to the UK from August 3 to 7, 2010 cost the taxpayers of Pakistan million of rupees and became the subject of intense scrutiny at the national and international levels. During that travel also, the president took a private jet to fly to Cardiff from Farnborough to meet his studying daughters there, at a cost of £16,000.
However, there was much more to that presidential visit for the international media. Photographs printed in the Pakistani and international media showed Zardari, wearing jeans in Normandy, France, and flying in a French air force helicopter to his stately home - the 16th century chateau, built for the widow of King Philippe VI - in the French countryside.
The pictures were flashed around the world to show the ‘joyride’ lifestyle of a president, whose nation was ravaged by the worst ever floods. This year, the situation is even worse, according to the media reports. Price hike, power outages, lawlessness and political friction are at an all-time high.
Official sources here and in Islamabad have confirmed that both the president and the prime minister had not contributed even a single penny for the expenses incurred on the private legs of their visits, neither this time nor on the previous occasions.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s recent visit to Britain, however, was a study in contrast. He arrived in Britain on an official trip but his strict order for the visiting ministers and lawmakers was to stay at the houses of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers and to draft their help for local transportation to the official meetings.
Sharif’s entourage, barring three bureaucrats, stayed at private houses and used public transport to the official meetings or were taken around by PML-N workers. Sharif made it a point to mention in his public speeches that he would not use the public money for foreign expenditures.
Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar he did not agree with the amount spent on the President’s private visit to London saying” “the figures appear to be ridiculous. The Foreign office will have a correct figures.”
He said he would check with the Foreign office after returning from Saudi Arabia, where he accompanied President Asif Ali Zardari on his two-day official visit. When contacted a senior official of the Presidency, who did not want to be named, stated that there is general practice that the President himself bears the expenses of his private visit. “However, it is to be checked in this particular case”.
However, the official stated that the Foreign office was responsible for bearing the expenses of the entourage of the president. “The foreign office would have full details of the expenditures incurred on the visit,” the official stated. Efforts were made to contact the Foreign Office spokesperson but she did not take the calls. Shame Zardari Shame.
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