According to the estimates of the government, the sit-ins at D-Chowk cost the national exchequer nearly one billion rupees on account of security arrangements.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, in a written response to a question, informed the National Assembly during Question Hour that Rs877.819 million was spent on the security of the sit-ins staged by the two parties in Islamabad. This is the first time the government has provided exact figures about the expenditures it had incurred on security-related arrangements for the sit-ins.
Most probably it was not the intentions of Pakistan Awami Tehreek and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to destabilize the economy of the country but their sit-in protests did cost the national exchequer heavily. Following the marches of the two parties in August, the government repeatedly accused Imran Khan and Dr Tahirul Qadri for damaging the national economy. The government also held responsible both the protesting leaders for the cancellation of Chinese president’s visit to Islamabad in mid-September during which he was scheduled to sign various investment projects worth over $30 billion.
During any political protests or rallies, politicians should keep in mind that the already crippling economy of this country should not suffer any further.
Although the details of the expenditures have been revealed, citizens of this country would also like to find out the details of the expenditures on the pretext of security of the federal and provincial ministers and politicians. It is a fact that a huge chunk of money from the tax payers is being spent on the VIP protocols of the politicians. Some of the money is also misused for personal benefits disregarding the current situation of poverty and famine in the country.
Very often in public addresses, politicians pretend that they feel the misery of the people and would not waste a single penny of hard earned tax money. But their luxurious lifestyles reflect that their tall claims are far from reality.
