The Punjab government’s claims of austerity are in question as the Ombudsperson’s office has bought expensive gadgets, including an iPhone 15 Pro Max and five Samsung S24 Ultra phones for its officials.
While residents in Punjab and other parts of Pakistan face record-high bills and severe inflation, the government has been boasting about cutting costs on luxury items. This new purchase has left many people outraged.
Posts on social media by angry citizens display a total bill of Rs. 7,687,350 from a Lahore mobile store. The invoice shows each Samsung S24 Ultra costs Rs. 444,734.00, and each Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max costs Rs. 613,084.47.
Abdul Basit Khan, the media advisor at the Ombudsperson’s office in Lahore, confirmed the authenticity of the purchases to Geo Fact Check.
“According to the information I have, the phones have been bought,” he said over the phone.
Khan stated that the phones were required by officials to handle “complicated information” coming through their management information system from overseas. However, he did not specify what type of “complicated information” needed such high-end devices.
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