At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Its like the government has got hold of maal e ghaneemat in the form of tax payer money.

At taxpayers

At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

PM Ashraf has also taken another Rs6 billion out of the PSDP for projects in Gujjar Khan, his constituency. PHOTO: AFP / FILE

ISLAMABAD:
In an unprecedented spending spree, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has finished his annual discretionary development budget of Rs22 billion in just three and a half months.

He has also received another Rs10 billion to spend in constituencies of his choice ahead of the general elections – a move likely to spark controversy with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The opposition party has already revealed intentions to take up the matter with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Sources in the cabinet secretariat told The Express Tribune that the Rs22 billion development budget, allocated under the Peoples Works Programme (PWP)-II, has been fully sanctioned from July 1 to October 15. They added that the finance ministry has increased PWP-II to Rs32 billion under the premier’s directives. The fresh money, however, has not yet been allocated, the sources further revealed.

The Ministry of Finance has confirmed that the entire sum of Rs22 billion has been transferred to the assignment account. The money will be released from the account as work progresses on schemes authorised by Prime Minister Ashraf in constituencies of his choice.

PWP-II, previously known as Khushal Pakistan Programme, is part of the overall public sector development programme (PSDP) but its funds are dispensed at the premier’s discretion. PSDP’s size for the current fiscal year is Rs360 billion, which includes Rs22 billion for PWP-II and Rs5 billion for PWP-I – another special fund utilised under parliamentarians’ schemes.

The finance ministry initially issued orders for a Rs10 billion grant for PWP-II, according to a senior ministry official. This meant increasing PSDP to Rs370 billion immediately and consequently widening the budget deficit. The decision was reversed as such and the Planning Commission (PC) has now been asked to adjust the additional funds by slashing the budgets of other normal PSDP schemes.

This is bound to delay many projects and result in cost overruns. All PSDP-funded projects are already underfinanced and behind their completion schedules, a PC official told The Express Tribune.

PC Secretary Javed Malik said the commission was currently figuring out if it can spare additional funds but nothing had been decided as yet.

The Express Tribune tried approaching CD Additional Secretary Ahmad Farooq but he was unavailable. Efforts to contact PM Secretariat Additional Secretary Seerut Asghar were unsuccessful as well.

Meanwhile, PML-N Deputy Information Secretary Engineer Khurram Dastgir said his party will take up this “naked use of taxpayers’ money for political partronage” with ECP. Condemning the unprecedented spending of public funds, he demanded that the government share details of PWP-II funded projects with taxpayers.

PM Ashraf has also taken another Rs6 billion out of the PSDP for projects in Gujjar Khan, his constituency.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2nd, 2012.

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

By the way if development is the key to reelections, Musharraf would have been ruling us today.

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

They completely understand that jahalat and short memory of the people is the key to reelection, not development.

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

Since their performance has never been sterling, they want the money to speak on their behalf. Raja Perviez Ashraf is the raja of kismet. The feats his CV carries would have been sufficient for him to be behind bars elsewhere, but this is Pakistan. He is ruling the country after his 'immaculate services' as the water and power minister — just imagine!

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

PM Ashraf has also taken another Rs6 billion out of the PSDP for projects in Gujjar Khan, his constituency.

:rotfl:

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

Waqt kam muqabla sakht hay, it would be injustice if rental cant earn as much (in 6 months) as Gillani earned in four years.

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

^ LOL

in k pyare pyare waldain ki jageer hai pakistan aur uss k taxpayers ka paisa. No wonder people avoid paying taxes cuz they know it will be spent this way.

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

Gujjer Khan daikhnay kay qabil hoo ga.
Any baichara on GS from Gujjer Khan?

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

I wonder what the prime minister has built during the past four months. tribune.com.pk/story/460560/bending-the-rules-three-multi-billion-projects-added-for-pms-constituency/

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

^ ohh thats not to difficult to guess.. he will have built a good few bungalows for himself and in family ...

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I bought a phone charger from there once.

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

^made in Gujar khan?(^_^)

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

I'm (originally) from Gujar Khan :p

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Re: At taxpayers’ expense: PM empties Rs22b fund, asks for Rs10b more

^what do you reckon any development during the past few months?

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To accommodate PM - government redirects 4 billion from FATA budget

Mr prime minister dont slash the money for the most vulnerable to spend in your constituency as your party will still lose.

Redirecting funds: To accommodate PM, govt slashes FATA budget by Rs4b – The Express Tribune

Redirecting funds: To accommodate PM, govt slashes FATA budget by Rs4b

Annual allocation of Rs16b cut by one-fourth; funds to be used in PM’s discretionary fund.

ISLAMABAD: **
One of Pakistan’s most under-developed regions – the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) – is set to be neglected further as its development budget has been cut by the federal government by one-fourth, or Rs4 billion.**

Instead, the government has handed the funds to Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to spend on his choice of constituencies ahead of the general elections.

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The decision is likely to undermine efforts initiated to tackle militancy and eradicate poverty in Fata through development projects and is likely to cause delays in the completion of ongoing projects in the tribal areas.**

The move is also contradictory to the National Economic Council’s decision that equitable development would be carried out across the country by ensuring better allocation of resources – as well as to the spirit of the president’s Independence Day announcement that Fata would be given local government in a bid to further empower the region.

Sources in the Planning Commission (PC) told The Express Tribune that, in order to provide more discretionary grants to Prime Minister Ashraf, the PC has cut Fata’s development budget by Rs4 billion. As against its annual allocation of Rs16 billion, the tribal areas will now receive Rs12 billion.

After consuming his entire annual allocation of Rs22 billion in just three-and-a-half months since coming into office, the premier had sought an additional Rs10 billon. The finance ministry had initially decided to give the amount as a supplementary budget, but later on asked the PC to create space within the Rs360 billion total annual development budget approved for the current fiscal year 2012-2013.

Of the Rs10 billion, the commission has so far given up Rs5 billion in favour of the prime minister’s discretionary budget – Peoples Workers Programme-II, and it has now been learnt that Rs4 billion was withdrawn from Fata’s development budget.

Of the annual federal development budget of Rs360 billion, the premier’s discretionary grant has now swelled to Rs32 billion, or 8.8% of the total budget.

Secretary Planning and Development Department of Fata Secretariat, Shahzad Khan Bangash confirmed to The Express Tribune that Fata’s funds have been cut by Rs4 billion.

The Fata Secretariat has flagged the issue to the parliamentarians belonging to the tribal belt, who have become agitated with the government’s decision and have decided to take up the matter with Premier Ashraf.

Bangash added that Khyber-Pakthunkhwa Governor Barrister Syed Masood Kausar will also raise the issue with the federal government.

Hameedullah Jan Afridi, an MNA from NA-46 in Khyber Agency, said the Fata Secretariat has apprised the parliamentarians of the ongoing development and have decided to take up the matter in the upcoming session of the National Assembly.

“The federal government begs for money from all over the world in the name of eradicating poverty and controlling militancy in the tribal areas, but when it comes to actually spending the money on the ground, the federal government discriminates [against] the region”, Afridi claimed.

The Planning and Development Division secretary, Javed Malik, was not available for comments despite repeated attempts to contact him. Three other senior functionaries of the PC spoke off-the-record and confirmed that Fata’s budget has been slashed.

They, however, maintained that the Fata Secretariat did not have the capacity to utilise the entire funds. The officials added that, if it consumed the entire remaining budget of Rs12 billion, the commission would provide more funds.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2012.

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Re: To accommodate PM - government redirects 4 billion from FATA budget

It will be almost blasphemous to consider this arrangement a government and call that bugger a prime minister. Gillani had all of his discretionary fund spent in his own constituency and this guy is no difference. He knows what he and his government, both as minister and prime minister, have done in all almost five years and now all he wants is a seat to make sure that he is part of the next assembly.

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Re: To accommodate PM - government redirects 4 billion from FATA budget

^ I think he will lose even his own seat, I didn't think he's even spending there. He knows he has 6 months max, and will never find the chance again as the heir to the throne should be there in the next few years.

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Re: To accommodate PM - government redirects 4 billion from FATA budget

^ that’s correct. The bonanza will be over in six months and he won’t have this chance again even if he lives out the entire century.

But if he isn’t spending the money in his constituency, to pesa ja kidhar raha hey? Swizzerland meiN sarrkeiN pakki karwa raha hey kya? :cb:

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Re: To accommodate PM - government redirects 4 billion from FATA budget

Dig those roads, re-carpet those roads, paint those foot paths, build a bridge or two, need more money for publicity projects? slash it from “less deserving areas”, sings of great governance of PPP :k:

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Re: To accommodate PM - government redirects 4 billion from FATA budget

raja ji ki aye gi baraat... aah! .. aa gai baraat... luut gayi dulhaniyaa...