As part of its austerity drive, the government commenced the auction of a fleet of 102 luxury vehicles of the Prime Minister’s House on Monday. Talking to journalists, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said 70 vehicles of Prime Minister’s House had been auctioned above the market price, while the remaining bombproof and bulletproof vehicles classified as protected would be auctioned in the next phase. He said it was a successful auction and its objective was to send a message to the public that their elected prime minister was from them and the public money would not be wasted. Four recent models of Mercedes, eight bulletproof BMWs, three 5000CC SUVs and two 3000cc SUVs of 2016 model are among the vehicles up for auction. Moreover, 24 Mercedes Benz of 2016 model were also part of the auction. Two of the cars are 4,000cc bullet-proof vehicles. Further, 40 Toyota cars which include a 2004 Lexus, a 2006 Lexus SUV, and two 2004 model Land Cruisers were also up for auction. Other vehicles that are being auctioned include eight Suzuki cars, five Mitsubishi vehicles, nine Hondas and two jeeps. Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government and said the country would not be able to sustain itself by “auctioning cars and opening governor houses”. “Reports are making rounds that the government is trying to shoot itself in the foot with the development budget,” said Iqbal while addressing the media outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC). He claimed that for the last six months, the country’s development portfolio has been suspended and questioned: “How can any nation prosper when no development work has been done for the last six months.” The PML-N further claimed that the incumbent government’s stance on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was also unclear. “Running the country is not for amateurs who think they can build dams through collecting charity,” said Iqbal in an apparent criticism of the ongoing donation drive. He added that during the PML-N’s reign, Rs122 billion were released to build the Diamer-Bhasha dam and the land was also purchased for the purpose. The PML-N leader also warned the government of putting up a strong opposition after the first 100 days. Published in Daily Times, September 18th 2018.