Expenses related to official Iftars & Dinners

I pen with great regret that time and again one reads that President and Prime Minister in particular and ministers, governors and chief ministers in general host such like evenings but for what and why, may I dare ask?

Yesterday only PM Raja Pervez Ashraf invited more than two hundred to PM house for iftar and dinner to discuss what to do next when he (PM) has been asked to personally attend SC next hearing on 27^th August in connection with contempt of court notice issued to him. Newspapers wrote that invitees included all MNAs & Senators belonging to PPP and allies along with cabinet ministers, governors of Pukhtunwa, Punjab, Gilgit and Chief Minister of Gilgit. Chairman & Deputy Chairman Senate and Acting Speaker National Assembly and PM of Azad Kashmir were also in attendance. Even President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari who is certainly boss for PM was there at PM house to attend the iftar & dinner.

PM house in Islamabad whereas all MNAs, Senators, Governors, PM Azad Kashmir, to mention just a few, definitely do not reside in Islamabad and hence they had to fly or drive all the way from their respective cities and towns to Islamabad to attend the evening which is quite but natural but my question is as to who paid for their travelling expenses. Did all these invitees meet their expense from their own pocket, which I very much doubt unless you prove I am wrong? What had happened if some invitee dares to refuse to pocket such expense? Most probably these outsiders may even be claiming TA & DA for the trip. Expense on iftar & dinner may have run into seven figures if not eight means that PM has spent quite handsome money from our national exchequer which is shameful so far as I am concerned and PM could have saved this money if he had realized that a country like Pakistan simply cannot afford it.

Two days back President Asif Ali Zardari also had invited such like star studded people again to discuss the same issue as above and there again expenses on outsiders had been spent which is nothing but not only sheer wastage rather criminal wastage to be honest. Incidentally, this was not the only iftar and dinner hosted by President and PM and few more are likely to be hosted by both of them during remaining 10 days of holy month of Ramazan. What did President gain from such expense? Did President succeed in preventing SC not to issue contempt of court notice to PM is my question? Will PM succeed in influencing SC by hosting this iftar & dinner of yesterday is my another question? Will President and PM not host more iftar and dinner till 27^th when PM to appear in person before SC facing contempt of court is another trifling question?

Shouldn’t SC ask both President and Prime Minister as to why they are spending our money on hosting lavish iftars and dinners for no benefit to the country or nation?