ISLAMABAD, Aug 16: Foreign visits of the federal and state ministers in the last three years cost Rs51.65 million to the national exchequer. This information was placed before the National Assembly on Wednesday by Minister in charge of the Cabinet Division Dr Sher Afgan in a written reply to a question of Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) MNA from Peshawar Shabir Ahmed Khan

Interestingly, the data does not include the cost of the visits undertaken by Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri and the minister of state for foreign affairs, despite the fact the MMA MNA had sought the details of the expenditures incurred on the foreign tours of all the ministers.

The reply showed that the visits of the ministers cost Rs10.17 million to the national kitty in the year 2003-04, Rs20.66 million in 2004-05 and Rs20.83 million in 2005-06.