‘Enjoying free ride on tax money’: PM Shehbaz’s London visit receives criticism

Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and the senior leadership of the main government party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have gone to London where they are due to meet with party supremo Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday.

 PM Shehbaz Sharif departed for London via a British Airways flight shortly after midnight. It is expected that he will remain in London for two to three days.

The 10-member delegation consisting of PM Sharif, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Power Minister Khurram Dastagir, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, and Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Attaullah Tarar, among others have gone to London.

Their visit has received a lot of backlash from PML-N’s opponents to the general public. The timing of the PM and his top leadership’s visit to London is being questioned, with observers asking why such a trip is necessary when the country is in dire straits.

Former PM Imran Khan said in a jalsa in Jehlum on Tuesday that the entire cabinet was going to meet a ‘corrupt and convicted’ person, that too on taxpayers’ money.

“This entire cabinet is going to London on your [tax] money — they won’t spend their own money.”

Later Twitter reacted to the news when Deputy Secretary-General PML-N Attaullah Tarar shared a picture of the delegation visiting London.

Landed in London to meet our Quaid@betterpakistan @KhSaad_Rafique @Marriyum_A @MiftahIsmail pic.twitter.com/i3QzurdK6x

— Attaullah Tarar (@TararAttaullah) May 11, 2022

Enjoying free ride on Pakistanis tax money https://t.co/CpWyB5O1Kn

— Sajjad Mahdi (@SajjadMahdi19) May 11, 2022

Awam k tax k paiso se meetup ho rhey hai.. https://t.co/F1vJPypjRU

— Musa (@imusakaleem) May 11, 2022

What a waste of taxpayer money! https://t.co/jSYF71Mbhi

— Obaid (@ObaidMumtaz) May 11, 2022