Islamabad, March 17 (NationPress) A lavish vehicle worth Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 90 million has been acquired for Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani using funds from the Senate's budget, despite the ongoing struggles with inflation faced by the majority of the population, according to local news reports.

Sources indicate that the car has been delivered to the Senate Secretariat. When questioned about this purchase, Gilani, who previously served as Pakistan's Prime Minister, confirmed its acquisition, as reported by the prominent daily 'The Express Tribune.'

"Indeed, we procured the vehicle from the Senate budget, but it was ordered back in May of last year," Gilani stated, emphasizing that the funds used were from savings accumulated in the previous year's budget. He also mentioned having attempted to return the vehicle considering Pakistan's current economic conditions, only to be informed that it had already arrived.

On Tuesday, Geo News highlighted that an anonymous Senator from the treasury benches expressed regret over the purchase, deeming it unnecessary in a scenario where over 70 million citizens live below the poverty line amidst escalating inflation rates.

In June, Pakistan's Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb disclosed in Parliament that the Senate Chairman and the Speaker of the National Assembly receive monthly salaries amounting to PKR 2.15 million. This raised objections from Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who criticized the increased salaries of top officials as "economic obscenity," as reported by The Express Tribune.

Furthermore, last month it was reported that the Punjab provincial government plans to acquire 108 luxury vehicles totaling PKR 1.14 billion for cabinet members and bureaucrats during the current financial year, based on decisions made by the cabinet committee as well as recommendations from the transport wing, according to Pakistan's Dawn.

The cabinet committee and transport wing had suggested vehicle purchases at various times over the past three months, yet final approval from the Punjab government is still pending.

A senior official from the transport wing denied plans to procure new luxury vehicles for ministers and bureaucrats. However, well-placed sources revealed that only governmental approval is awaited for the recommendations made in the past three months, as reported by Dawn.

These sources further indicated that the transport wing had proposed acquiring 28 new vehicles valued at PKR 300 million for Punjab cabinet members. The Punjab government has already authorized the purchase of two bullet-proof 4x4 vehicles at a cost of PKR 40 million for two provincial ministers.