PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has so far paid 20 foreign visits after becoming foreign minister, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.    

Bilawal paid three tours of the United States and the United Arab Emirates, and two of Saudi Arabia, China, and Uzbekistan. 

Foreign Minister Bhutto took charge as Foreign Minister on April 2022, after which he paid 20 visits to 11 countries, of which 13 were individual visits as Foreign Minister, while seven were accompanied by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. 

 Foreign Minister also visited Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Germany, Switzerland, Cambodia, Singapore, and Indonesia. 

However, the foreign minister claimed that he bore the expenses of tickets and hotels during his foreign visits to reduce the financial burden on the national exchequer.  

"I do not burden the national exchequer with the expenses of my abroad visits and even if I do, it is my prerogative as a foreign minister. I am the only Foreign Minister of Pakistan who purchases his own ticket and pays his own hotel bill.”

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahira Baloch also confirmed that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari paid the expenses of official trips by himself. 

“Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto’s foreign visits are meant to explore trade opportunities, restore ties with friendly countries and remove misunderstandings”

Reporter: Mohsin Ul Mulk