The Punjab Assembly discussed and approved the purchase of luxury vehicles worth Rs. 180 million. An eleven-member finance committee, chaired by the Speaker, sanctioned this expenditure, which includes acquiring a Toyota Land Cruiser for the Speaker for Rs. 100 million and a new Toyota Fortuner for the Deputy Speaker priced at Rs. 22.5 million.
Additionally, the committee approved a Fortuner for the Assembly Secretary and two Hilux Vigo trucks worth Rs. 30 million for the Speaker’s security.
During the meeting, Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja and Ali Haider Gilani from the Pakistan Peoples Party supported the decision. However, the three opposition members, including Ali Imtiaz Warraich, opposed the purchase, arguing that buying new vehicles is unnecessary and unfair to the public, especially in the current economic climate. The opposition members in the committee also included Makhdoom Shahabuddin and Ahmad Mujtaba.
In contrast, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has recently implemented strict austerity measures to promote fiscal responsibility within the National Assembly Secretariat. The new policy prohibits the purchase of new vehicles and mandates that NA officers and Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) utilize existing government vehicles, paying for them according to established rules.
Speaker Sadiq has personally opted not to acquire a new vehicle and has reduced his protocol vehicles to two. He has also restricted foreign trips for delegations to essential international events, limited official lunches and dinners to foreign dignitaries, and ordered the withdrawal of vehicles from officials who benefit from the monetization facility, requiring them to pay for their travel outside the city.