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Former rulers wasted nation’s money on their security, treatment: Murad Saeed

Former rulers wasted nation’s money on their security, treatment: Murad Saeed
July 16, 2019
ISLAMABAD (92 News) – Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed said that the former rulers had wasted people’s wealth on their security, camp offices, treatment and entertainment. Talking to the media after the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, he said that former president Asif Zardari had caused a loss of Rs3,164 million to the national exchequer. “Punjab former chief minister wasted an amount of Rs8,726.9 million,” he added. Murad Saeed said that former prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani had five camp offices and spent an extra sum of Rs 244.9 million. Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan said that a committee had been constituted to submit its recommendations to the cabinet on the verdict of World Bank's Arbitration Court on the Riko Diq case. “The committee will submit its recommendations, point out those responsible and devise a future strategy in this regard.” Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the committee headed by Law Minister Farough Naseem will include Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar, Adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan for Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Isharat Hussain, Prime Minister's Special Assistant on Accountability Shahzad Akbar and Syed Qasim. She said that it had been decided that Minister for Communications Murad Saeed would brief every cabinet meeting about the foreign tours of the Sharif family and expenditures incurred by them illegally. Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the cabinet had issued directives for appointing permanent heads in all the departments which are being run without heads. The special assistant said that it had been decided that a mechanism would be devised to keep an eye on the prices of items of daily use like pulses and wheat flour. “It has been decided that the tax on import of edible oil will be reduced from seven percent to two percent, which will break the backbone of the hoarders,” she said. Firdous Ashiq Awan said that the cabinet had also discussed the possible steps needed for improvement in the management of land record by the Revenue Department. “However, the matter will be taken up in the next cabinet meeting,” she concluded. Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam was also present on the occasion.