PM’S Turkey Visit: IHC moved against ‘misuse’ of public funds on ads

ISLAMABAD (INP): A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court (LHC) against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for “misusing” public funds for political advertisements.
The petition was filed by advocate Naseem Abbas Nasir. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, PM Office, PEMRA, PID and others have been made respondents in the plea.
The petitioner cited PM Shehbaz’s recent widely-advertised visit to Turkey and contended that Shehbaz Sharif government was squandering money on newspaper advertisements
He pleaded with the court to direct the government to deposit the expenses incurred on the exchequer back to the treasury within 55 days.
The petitioner urged the court to restrain the government from using public funds for its advertising campaign. It is pertinent to mention here that the federal government received backlash after country’s several newspapers last week carried advertisements about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Turkey. Citizens criticized the incumbent government for spending a huge amount on newspaper ads for foreign tours at a time when the country’s economy is on the edge and the government is desperately looking for an IMF package.