WHEN Imran Khan took over as prime minister, the media and the people welcomed the austerity measures he himself took and directed the others to follow.

People were fed up with the previous governments’ lavish spending on the homes, security and personal expenses out of taxpayers’ money. Everybody knows that Pakistan was treated by the Sharifs and Zardari family as their personal property.

There had been no such negative reports in the media about any political figure related to the PTI government.

However, a recent news report about the lavish renovation of Punjab chief minister’s residence — the six-bedroom annexe meant for official visitors being used by his relatives and his personal expenses on food etc. being paid out of official expenses — calls for a high-level impartial official investigation to be ordered by the prime minister.

The explanation given by the CM secretariat spokesman raises many doubts.

It is a fact that ordinary people are facing a lot of financial hardships owing to the phenomenal rise in the prices of items of daily use, which is breaking all previous records.

On the other hand, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has hardly done anything for the people worth mentioning. Several people from within the PTI and outside the party have already demanded his removal for not being effective as far as his official assignments as chief minister are concerned.

All these things, which are bringing a bad name to the PTI, call for serious attention by the prime minister.

Sqn Ldr (r) Tarique M. Malak
Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2020