PML-N President and former Punjab chief minister Shehbaz Sharif claims that his ‘conscious administrative decisions’ caused a loss of Rs 1.5 billion to the business of his son and extended family.

The Pakistan Muslim League-N has published a report 'Public Service Beyond the Call of Duty" on his performance during his 10-year tenure as chief minister, which claimed that Shehbaz did not get entitlements worth Rs 59m.  

Giving details of these entitlements under various head like foreign travel, fuel, house rent, TA/DA, medical and salaries, the report said he paid all these expenses from his own pocket.

Incarcerated by the NAB at present, the former chief minister also said that he had refused to bow to the pressure of powerful mills association in 2014 and did not give any subsidy on sugarcane despite repeated appeals of the millers and a precedent set by the Sindh government in 2017.  

Shehbaz, according to the report, imposed Rs 2 per litre on ethanol to generate additional revenue at a time when no other province did it.

It has also been mentioned in the report that Shehbaz’s firm stance on giving relief to farmers by keeping the original price of Rs 180/40 kg intact caused a net loss of Rs 465 million to his son’s mill and another Rs 660 million to the families of his brothers Nawaz and Abbas Sharif.  

The report also gives detail of how he refused subsidy on export.

In September 2017, a summary was sent to him by the then chief secretary regarding the availability of surplus sugar and potential of its export, recommending a subsidy of RS 15 per kg.

The report said that the chief minister agreed to export idea but rejected the recommendation about subsidy, directing the relevant authorities to leave the matter to the federal government.

It is said that although Shehbaz could have easily followed the example of the Sindh government, he took the decision in the larger public interest. As a result, the report says, the Punjab-based mills suffered a huge ‘disadvantage’ as compared to the mills in Sindh.

Consequently, his son suffered a loss of Rs 230 million, says the report.

His government provided subsidized items to Ramazan Bazaars. Sugar worth Rs 30 million for these bazaars had been contributed by his son’s mills. His late brother Abbas Sharif’s family contributed Rs 18 million.

The report also gives details of important projects set up in various fields during Shehbaz’s tenure, the benefits they will bring to the people of Punjab and the savings he made in their expenditure.

The conclusion of all this has been summed up: “Shehbaz Sharif has redefined governance in Pakistan. He has shown how with passion, focus, determination and hard work one can make such a difference in the lives of so many people. Through personal example, he has also proved that leadership with a vision can make even this weak system generate unmatched performance. His public service has come at the expense of his financial and personal health but he has never wavered and has never faltered. The unparalleled development in Punjab is a testament to his skills as a leader who has always prioritized citizens’ welfare over everything else.”