President Zardari personally paid expenses for private foreign trip, spokesperson says

The Presidency has clarified that President Asif Ali Zardari personally covered all expenses related to his recent private foreign trip following reports and questions surrounding the cost of his travel.

The Presidency has clarified that President Asif Ali Zardari personally covered all expenses related to his recent private foreign trip following reports and questions surrounding the cost of his travel.

According to a statement issued by the spokesperson for the President’s House the visit was entirely private and no expenses related to the trip were charged to the national exchequer.

The spokesperson said President Zardari paid for all costs associated with the overseas visit from his personal funds. This included the cost of the aircraft used for the trip which the president personally chartered.

The spokesperson further clarified that expenses related to the aircraft crew, parking, accommodation and other associated costs would also be paid by President Zardari himself.

The Presidency stressed that no money from the government treasury was spent on the private foreign visit.

President Zardari had recently travelled to Austria and subsequently went to London, United Kingdom before returning to Pakistan on Friday.

The visit was described by the Presidency as a private trip rather than an official state or government visit. The clarification was issued after media reports raised questions about the expenses associated with the president’s overseas travel.

The statement from the President’s House aimed to make clear that the trip did not place any financial burden on the national exchequer.

According to the spokesperson, President Zardari personally arranged and chartered the aircraft used for the journey. The president will also bear the expenses associated with the aircraft’s crew, parking and accommodation along with other costs connected to the private visit.

The clarification comes amid continued public and media scrutiny of expenses associated with official travel by senior government officials and public office holders.

By stating that the trip was privately funded the Presidency sought to distinguish the visit from official foreign tours, for which expenses are generally covered through government resources.

President Zardari’s recent travel to Austria and London was therefore a personal visit according to the official clarification and the Presidency maintained that taxpayers did not bear the cost.

The president returned to Pakistan after completing the private trip with the President’s House reiterating that all expenses linked to the journey were personally covered by Asif Ali Zardari.