Fact-check: Punjab’s caretaker govt to buy over 200 new vehicles for officials

Posts, which have accumulated thousands of interactions on Facebook and Twitter, claim that the caretaker government in Punjab will be spending Rs2.33 billion to purchase over 200 new vehicles for bureaucrats.

The claim is true.

Claim

On July 23, a Twitter user wrote that Pakistan “was barely surviving” and yet in these financial conditions, the Punjab government had ordered new vehicles worth Rs2.3 billion for bureaucrats.

A similar claim was shared by another Twitter user: “Punjab government to spend Rs2.3 billion on the purchase of 200 new luxury vehicles for officers.”

The tweet had been retweeted 36 times and liked 35 times, at the time of writing.

Fact

Officials confirm that the interim government in Punjab has indeed given the go-ahead to purchase over 200 vehicles, at the cost of Rs2.33 billion, for bureaucrats in the province.

As per the details provided to Geo Fact Check by a senior official of the finance department in Punjab, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, the additional commissioners in the province will be allotted Toyota Corolla 1.6 Altis CVT each, the additional deputy commissioner (ADC) general of each district will get a Yaris ATIV 1.3L and the assistant commissioners (AC) of each tehsil will get a luxury double cabin 4*4 Revo-G M/T.

The official further said that the notification circulating online about the purchase of the cars was “fake” and not issued by his department. However, the information in the alleged communiqué was accurate, he said, adding that his department has prepared a notification in this regard and will be publishing it soon.

After the orders are placed, 145 assistant commissioners (tehsil), 36 additional deputy commissioners (district) and 27 additional commissioners (division) will be given new vehicles for official use.

This totals to 208 new cars.

Shafqat Ullah Mushtaq, the secretary of the Board of Revenue (BOR) Punjab, has also confirmed to Geo Fact Check that the BOR will be purchasing the vehicles, by drawing from the budget 2023-24.

Mushtaq was asked why the BOR was purchasing more vehicles for bureaucrats when last October, the elected government of Chief Minister Parvez Elahi had bought 93 luxury vehicles, including for additional deputy commissioners (ADCs).

The official explained that last year the cars were bought for only ADCs of the revenue department. The ADCs in the finance, general and coordination offices did not get any vehicles and the ADCs (general) are being accommodated now, he said.

Correction: An earlier version of the story stated that the caretaker Punjab government will be purchasing 209 cars. The number has been corrected to 208 cars, which was later confirmed by the secretary of the BOR Punjab.

With additional reporting by Muhammad Binyameen Iqbal.

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