The prime Minister of Pakistan’ Shehbaz Sharif’ will be travelling to Saudi Arabia on a commercial flight at his own expense, as per the reports of the government, and they stated this statement on Tuesday, denying allegations that he is taking with him a big entourage, including his 16 family members, on state expenses.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb reacted to allegations by leaders of former premier Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) related to tour prices and blamed them for spreading lies about prime minister Sharif’s maiden trip to Saudi Arabia.
“Contrary to lies being multiplied by the PTI, the plans of the prime minister visit to Saudi Arabia later this week on a commercial flight and he is travelling at his own expenses, tweeted by the minister.”
Even during his ten years as CM Punjab from 2008-to 18, he always preferred to travel on a commercial flight, and he always used his own expenses, she added.
The prime minister plans to leave for Saudi Arabia on his maiden official overseas trip to Saudi Arabia on Thursday, where he is scheduled to hold talks with the Saudi leadership.
Even though he is planning to visit other places too, Shahbaz would also visit Mecca in order to perform the Umrah pilgrimage. Shehbaz, 70, was declared Pakistan’s 23rd prime minister on April 11 after his ancestor Imran Khan was dismissed in a no-confidence vote.
Sources also stated that nearly 40 people would also be planning to attend the prime minister on the official visit.
They contained 16 family members; some of them will join the prime minister from the United Kingdom and Dubai.
Aurangzeb stated that the prime minister was going on a commercial flight, and all his entourage members would be at their own expense. PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry alleged that the prime minister is carrying a heavy entourage on state expenses.
The information minister advised Chaudhry not to make “baseless statements against journalists as no media person was going to Saudi Arabia at the state’s expense.”
Aurangzeb moved on to state that the “fake news was the hallmark of the former information minister”.
She further stated that the media is used to five important coverage of the ex-minister ‘Imran Khan‘ when he was the part of the Opposition, and after coming into power, he targeted and victimised them.
“Now, after being thrown out of power in a disgraceful manner, the PTI leadership is accusing the media,” she said.