• Minister tells NA this was highest security expenditure incurred in five years
• Lawmaker says designated Chinese, Gulf airlines hold traffic rights for Gwadar airport

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday informed the National Assembly that the authorities spent Rs724 million to prevent protests and secure the Red Zone in the federal capital during the fiscal year 2022-23.

Mr Chaudhry shared these details during Question Hour. Drawing a comparison with expenditures to this effect in the recent past, he said Rs150 million in FY19-20 were spent on security measures to protect the Red Zone.

Drawing a comparison, the minister said an amount of Rs157.76m was spent in 2019-20, Rs96.13m in 2020-21, and Rs277.95m in 2021-22. He said the security spending in 2023-24 remained at Rs100m.

The minister explained that security expenditures generally fall under two categories, including the transportation, food, and accommodation of security personnel and the procurement of containers used to block roads and prevent unlawful gatherings.

The minister said that 2022-23 saw the highest security expenditure in the past five years due to the large number of protests and sit-ins in the federal capital. He claimed if opposition parties had protested within legal boundaries, these expenses could have been avoided and used for public welfare instead.

Dr Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto of PPP raised a question regarding the total security costs concerning protests in the last five years. Answering a supplementary question about the loss of perishable items in containers asked by Senator Sehar Kamran, the minister said that empty containers were arranged by the administration for security purposes, with proper payments made to the respective companies. He, however, recalled an incident where a loaded container truck was mistakenly used, causing additional logistical issues.

To questions about begging and the homeless population in Islamabad, the minister said that numerous arrests had been made under the crackdown on professional beggars.

He claimed that many individuals who were apprehended by the authorities were part of organised groups but said they were released since the offence was bailable. He hinted at bringing stricter laws to address this issue.

According to the minister, Pakistani passports contain international security features, making them impossible to forge. He said strict action has been taken against human smugglers while the FIA officers involved in trafficking have also been terminated.

Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Zeb Jaffer informed the house that the Civil Aviation Authority committed to facilitating airline operators in the commencement of flight operations to and from Gwadar. The PIA recently commenced international flight operations between Gwadar and Oman, she said, adding that a facility for the refuelling of international flights had also been provided at Gwadar International Airport.

The house was informed that designated airlines of China and major Gulf players, such as the UAE, Qatar and Oman, held traffic rights, entitling them to an unlimited number of frequencies to and from Gwadar.

This essentially implies that the designated airlines of such states can operate any number of flights to and from Gwadar without any restrictions as to the number of services that may be offered on a weekly basis.

The parliamentary secretary said the upgradation and expansion of Sukkur’s Begum Nusrat Bhutto Airport was in the planning stage. She said the Rs40 billion PC-1 of the project has been prepared.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2025