The government spent over Rs1.35 billion on managing protests in the federal capital over the past five years, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry informed the National Assembly in a written response. The highest expenditure was recorded in 2022-23, amounting to Rs724 million.
According to the minister, Rs157.7 million was spent on handling protests in 2019-20, followed by Rs96.1 million in 2020-21. The costs increased significantly in 2021-22, reaching Rs277.9 million, before peaking in 2022-23.Â
In the ongoing fiscal year 2023-24, Rs100 million has been allocated for protest management so far.
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.
Dr. Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto of the PPP inquired about the total security costs incurred for managing protests over the past five years. In response to a supplementary question from Senator Sehar Kamran regarding the loss of perishable goods in containers, the minister stated that empty containers were arranged by the administration for security purposes, with payments duly made to the respective companies.
