Islamabad: As part of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s austerity drive, the Prime Minister House’s eight buffaloes — including one calf — were auctioned here on Thursday, fetching Rs2.3 million (Dh68,560) for the national exchequer.
The government had earlier advertised the animal auction in print and electronic media.
A large number of people, including buyers and livestock traders had turned up at the auction site — the mini-dairy farm at the PM House — to participate.
They came from far-off areas in Punjab like Layyah, Bhakkar, Mianwlai (districts in Southern Punjab) and even from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Islamabad.
Besides the auction’s participants, a number of PTI workers had also come to witness what they said is a historic occasion and “practical manifestation” of the austerity drive launched by PTI Chairman and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The auction started at 11am and was done within two hours. Before the auction, each animal was briefly introduced to the probable buyers. The buffaloes were of a superior breed called ‘Neeli Ravi’, known for producing 10-15 litres milk every day, said a PM House staffer.
PM House’s animal residents were given away for hard cash: no barter or cheques were accepted.
Interestingly, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) worker, Haji Imdad, made the highest bid i.e. Rs323,000 (Dh9,835), saying he would gift it to his leader, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Another buffalo was auctioned for Rs300,000 (Dh8,940) and in total, all the eight animals brought Rs2.3 million to the national exchequer.
One auction participant, Nawaz, complained the buffaloes were being sold for prices three-times higher and that the PM House staff had raised prices arbitrarily. “In our region, such buffaloes are sold and purchased for three-times less,” said Nawaz. He, however, admitted these buffaloes were not ordinary ones, as their “milk was used by Nawaz Sharif and his family.”
Imran Khan, in his first address to the nation as Prime Minister of Pakistan, had announced that his government would not waste taxpayer money on lavish spending, and would ensure caution and responsibility in utilising public money.
In keeping with PTI’s election campaign promise of following austerity measures, the government auctioned off more than 60 luxury vehicles belonging to the Prime Minister’s House, saying they were purchased unnecessarily by the PML-N government for heads of states and the governments of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) members, for the 2018 SAARC Summit.
However, the summit was later postponed and the vehicles were no longer of any use.
