LAHORE: The Punjab government and opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) have been wrangling over “exorbitant spendings, chartered jet and private persons in the delegation” of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s Japan’s five-day tour.

Ms Nawaz concluded her Japan visit on Monday and reached Thailand. Questions are also being raised on social media regarding CM Maryam’s ‘official visit’ to Japan, in which ‘private individuals’, including her family members, as also a part.

It is being argued that even if such participants claim to bear their own expenses, the practice undermines the sanctity of official delegations and blurs the line between state affairs and personal interests.

Questions are also being raised on social media platforms over the inclusion of private persons as part of her visit, causing a huge sum of money to the exchequer.

Entourage comes under scrutiny; PTI’s Waqas claims bank borrowing spent on excursion; Azma says PTI will consume in its own frustration

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, who is also part of the CM delegation to Japan, rejected a list of the ‘participants’ of the CM’s visit circulating on social media, calling it “a pack of lies“.

She said Pakistan and Japan were entering a new era of diplomatic cooperation, but certain anti-national elements were trying to malign this relationship with disinformation and propaganda.

“For the first time, a woman CM made a ‘historic’ visit to Japan and the malicious campaign against this milestone is nothing short of a shameful act of hostility against the country’s progress. The individuals (the Sharif family members and its friends) mentioned in the

social media list were not part of the ‘official government delegation’. Only officially nominated delegates had their expenses covered by the government, while all others covered their own costs privately,” she said.

Ms Bokhari said those pained by Pakistan’s cooperation with Japan in urban development, technology, and youth skills enhancement must accept that the nation is moving forward. “The opposition PTI has nothing to offer except falsehood and propaganda. Just like in the past, it will continue to consume in its own frustration,” she added.

On the other hand, the PTI strongly criticised Maryam Nawaz for her foreign trip to Japan, demanding full disclosure of public funds ‘squandered’ on the tour.

“What did Punjab really gain from Maryam Nawaz’s Japan visit? Questions persist over public spending, use of a chartered jet, and the actual outcomes beyond photo optics and promises,” it asked.

PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram termed Maryam’s trip a “wasteful” excursion at the expense of the poor nation’s hard-earned money, undertaken when the country was navigating its ‘worst-ever’ economic crisis.

He pointed out that as per the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the Punjab government borrowed a staggering Rs405 billion in just first 38 days of the current fiscal year 2025-26 (July 1 to August 8), which were not utilised for any public welfare rather wasted on foreign trips, lavish advertisements, and political image-building.

“The people of Pakistan demand a full and transparent disclosure of how much has been spent on these useless advertisements and foreign excursions. The ‘fake’ CM Punjab must clarify whether her Japan trip, along with dozens of cronies, family members and sycophants, was paid from her personal pocket or from the funds of the Punjab and federal governments,” he said.

Analyst Imtiaz Gul said on X: “Massive advertisement campaign on @MaryamNSharif Japan visit: Isn’t it an affront to the poor of Punjab? Has she conquered Japan? Do donors ask about the rationale of the precious funds being spent on personal projection?”

Earlier, a local TV channel, citing official documents, had claimed that the Punjab government allocated Rs160 million for the CM ’s Japan trip which included expenses for luxury hotel stays in Japan and Bangkok, luxury cars for transport and diplomatic gifts.

Political observers are of the view that foreign visits by elected leaders should strictly focus on advancing provincial and national interests through professional representation, rather than projecting political families. They warn that such practices not only set a poor precedent but also raise concerns of nepotism, misuse of protocol, and dilution of credibility in the eyes of international counterparts.

(Ikram Junaidi and Mansoor Malik also contributed to this report)

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2025