TIL Desk/World/Islamabad/ Pakistan has banned the VIP culture at airports for ‘influential people’, including politicians, judges and military officials as part of the new government’s austerity plan, media reports said on Monday. The decision will be strictly implemented to provide equal opportunities to all travellers without any discrimination, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said.
The move, which came under effect from Sunday, comes days after the new government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan banned the discretionary use of state funds and first-class air travel by officials and leaders, including the president and the prime minister, as part of its austerity drive. The interior ministry has directed the Federal Investigation Agency that no government official or other VIPs would be given protocol at airports. The VIP protocol was given by the FIA.
Such decisions had also been taken by previous governments but they could not implement them in a letter and spirit, the report said. It had been observed that influential people were given VIP protocol at airports so that they could avoid standing in long queues and get cleared their luggage without any hustle, Chaudhry said.
