A total of $11,000 were spent on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s maiden trip to Kabul, Jang News reported on Saturday.
The premier was accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, DG Inter-Services Intelligence General Faiz Hameed, Advisor to PM on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood and other civil-military officials on the one-day visit.
In comparison, former premier Nawaz Sharif’s 2015 official trip to Afghanistan had cost $58,000 and Raja Pervez Ashraf’s 2012 visit had cost $51,000
Former president Asif Ali Zardari’s 2009 visit cost the national exchequer $44,000.
“My visit to Kabul was another step towards conveying Pakistan’s commitment to peace in Afghanistan,” the premier wrote on Twitter after arriving back home. “I have never believed in military solutions which is why I always believed that in Afghanistan peace will be achieved through political dialogue.”
“After the Afghans, we have the greatest stake in this peace as it will allow for connectivity and trade, bringing prosperity to both Afghans & Pakistanis,” he continued. “Our people in the tribal areas, who have suffered the ravages of the war in Afghanistan, will especially benefit from peace and trade.”
