ISLAMABAD: Unlike the huge walls erected around residences of PPP leaders at government expense in major cities in the last five years, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and brother Shahbaz Sharif have refused a similar security wall around their Raiwind Jati Umra home estate, costing Rs140m.
The Punjab’s bureaucracy initiated the move hoping that the Sharif brothers will accept the scandalous proposal of raising boundary walls, install watch towers and security lights at their private residence but the baboos were outsmarted.
Rejecting the proposal of paying from public fund for security-related civil work at their private residence amid terrorist threats to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Punjab said he and the PM could not show empathy with the common man facing the brunt of terrorism and would bear the construction cost from their own pocket.
Declaring that accepting public fund for this purpose will be a burden on their conscience, the CM instead directed the bureaucracy to utilise the proposed fund (Rs140m) for establishing eight satellite units of the Punjab Forensic Lab as already planned separately.
“It is equally important to lead by personal example and to create, hitherto, an unprecedented example of not burdening the fledgling and perpetually constrained public finances even when it comes to personal security consideration,” reads CM Punjab’s note refusing to accept the proposal.
Had it been accepted, this could have turned into a scandal against the PML-N government preaching austerity, commented an official.
Their decision is in contrast with massive expenditures incurred on improving the security of private residences in Multan and Larkana of top guns in the PPP government.
“It is not just an issue of propriety alone, rather has to do a lot with a national leader showing empathy with the common man facing the brunt of terrorism and insecurity day in and day out.
It is equally important to lead by personal example and to create hitherto an unprecedented example of not burdening the fledgling and perpetually constrained public finances even when it comes to personal security consideration.”
Internews
