(8 August, 2018)
President Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum (PBIF), President AKIA, Senior Vice Chairman of the Businessmen Panel of FPCCI and former provincial minister of Sindh, Mian Zahid Hussain on Wednesday said that given the current economic situation of the Country, where increase in revenue is mandatory, avoiding unnecessary expenditures is equally important. Discouraging protocol culture from the expected PM, Imran Khan is worth following and shows the strong bonding of Leader with his people.
The veteran business leader while talking to the business community said that the lavish protocol is a huge burden on the declining economy of Pakistan and a cause of panic for the masses. It is important that the security of VVIPs including president, prime minister, judges, etc., should not be compromised at any cost but it’s equally important to avoid unnecessary expenses causing loss of millions to the national exchequer annually.
The former minister said that elite and ruling class spends millions of rupees on their protocol and overblown security causing heavy damages to the national exchequer. Around 3 billion rupees have been spend on the protocol of few elite families in the Country. If ban is imposed on protocol, the national exchequer will be saved to a greater extent and common masses will get relief from unnecessary hurdles and problems they face while blocking of routes during VIP movements. Several important and precious human lives have been lost due to VVIP movements and trouble thousands of general public for hours.
Mian Zahid Hussain said that several recommendations on reduced protocol and amendments in blue book have sent by the Senate standing committee, but to no avail, as no sincere efforts have been made to this effect. According to blue book, a route can be blocked for 2 -3 minutes, but it is a common practice that roads get blocked for more than 30 minutes, causing traffic jams and troubling the common men. Spending millions on protocol of government official and elected people’s representatives in a Country with serious economic threats is not a wise decision and need to be addressed.
He said that the incoming government should take the matter into account and stop wasting the national exchequer on unnecessary protocol of elite class assuring their complete and fool proof security on priority.
