Imran Khan govt auctions fleet of luxury cars as part of austerity drive

The cash-strapped Pakistan government on Monday sold 34 cars as part of an auction of 102 luxury vehicles, including some bullet-proof ones, as part of Prime Minister Imran Khan's austerity drive.

Apart from luxury cars, the government, facing huge debts and liabilities, plans to auction eight buffaloes kept by deposed and jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at the PM House for his "gastronomic requirements", a senior aide to Khan said last week.

It will also sell the four surplus helicopters lying unused with the Cabinet Division, Naeem-ul-Haq, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Political Affairs, said.

Thirty-four non-imported cars have been sold so far during the action, Geo News reported.

In the second phase of the auction, 41 imported cars will be sold, it said.

The cars that are being auctioned include four recent models of Mercedes Benz, eight bullet-proof BMWs, three 5000cc SUVs and two 3000cc SUVs of 2016 model.

Twenty-four 24 Mercedes Benz of 2016 model are also being auctioned. Two of the 28 cars are 4,000cc bullet-proof vehicles, the report said.

Further, 40 Toyota cars, a Lexus SUV, and two Land Cruisers are also up for auction.

Other vehicles that are being auctioned include eight Suzuki cars, five Mitsubishi vehicles, nine Hondas and two jeeps.

The cars will be sold to those who have the highest bid, the report said.

In his first address to the nation, Prime Minister Khan had emphasised on cutting government expenditure. As part of the cost-cutting initiative, he had announced the auction of surplus PM House vehicles.

Pakistan's debt and liabilities rose sharply to nearly Rs 30 trillion or 87 per cent of total size of the economy at the end of previous fiscal year, according to media reports.

Statistics released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) last month showed that in the last five years, Pakistan's total debt and liabilities increased Rs 13.5 trillion or 82.8 per cent to stand at Rs 29.9 trillion. Five years ago, Pakistan's total debt and liabilities were Rs 16.4 trillion, the Express Tribune reported.