Lahore:
Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) has criticized the Punjab government’s decision to devote RS730 million to the purchase of bulletproof vehicles and called it a symbol of extravagant expenses in the midst of deterioration of financial conditions to the public.
In a statement, PTI Punjab’s media cell head Shayan Bashir condemned the move as “an obvious display of anti-people management.” He said the government’s priorities are incorrectly adapted to the needs of the population, which is facing critical lack of affordable flour, electricity and medicine.
Bashir emphasized that over 35 million people in Punjab live below the poverty line, and a 15% tax on medicine has further limited access to healthcare.
He pointed to alarming maternal mortality – 165 deaths per day. 100,000 births – as well as rising costs in the agricultural sector, where farmers are struggling with a 25% increase in fertilizer prices, higher water bills and poor returns on wheat.
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“Unemployment has crossed 7.5%, but the government is still continuing to spend lavish on itself instead of meeting people’s basic needs,” Bashir said, adding that many communities still lack clean drinking water and adequate food.
He also remembered a previous approval of RS7.5 billion for the purchase of luxury vehicles, claiming a continued lack of transparency from Punjab Finance Department. On July 7, Bashir filed a formal request for items related to the purchase and use of vehicles. In his reply, the department denied the responsibility and referred the case to other government agencies.
“This answer either reflects dangerous administrative incompetence or a deeply rooted corruption scandal,” he said. He accused the department of violating the Law on Access to Information, 2017, which obliges public institutions to disclose such information.
Bashir also criticized chief minister Maryam Nawaz and accused her administration of masking of systemic corruption with populist rhetoric. “This is undeniable proof of administrative dishonesty,” he said. He promised that PTI Punjab would pursue legal and constitutional paths as well as public protest to challenge what he called “exploiting governance.”
