By IANS,
Islamabad : The Pakistan embassy in Washington is the biggest spender among 121 Pakistani missions in the world, a media report said Friday.
Parliament was informed Thursday that the Washington embassy spent Rs.775 million in 2009-10.
According to a written answer by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, the embassy in the US consumed Rs.474 million till March this year. The entire expenditure of the year has not been arrived at, Dawn reported.
Besides the embassy in Washington, Pakistan has “a healthy presence” in a number of other American cities, the minister said.
In Chicago, the government spent Rs.38 million in 2009-10 and Rs.39 million till March this year. The expenditure at Houston was Rs.39 million and Rs.26 million respectively.
The figures for Los Angeles stood at Rs.74 million and Rs.59 million, for New York (consul general) Rs.122 million and Rs.90 million, and for New York Rs.270 million and Rs.229 million.
Dawn said the annual expenditures proved that Pakistani diplomats “in the US have busy lives”.
A Foreign Office defended the heavy presence in the US, saying the large Pakistani community there benefited from it.
The Pakistan embassy in China spent Rs.107 million in 2009-10 and Rs.80 million up to March this year.
Its expenditure for Kabul was Rs.156 million, for London Rs.281 million, for Moscow Rs.148 million and New Delhi Rs.237 million.