Musharraf spent Rs 63 lakhs in 3 days!

Pakistani Senators have questioned President Pervez Musharraf's fat hotel bill of Rs 63 lakh during his recent three-day visit to Britain, saying it caused a deep hole for the state exchequer.

Musharraf, who undertook a 10-day tour of the European countries last month, stayed in a royal suite of an expensive hotel near Hyde Park in London. His three-day stay cost Rs 63 lakh. Senator Azam Swati of the Islamic alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) informed the upper house of Parliament through a point of order that the hotel the President stayed in charged Rs 63 lakh for three nights or Rs 21 lakh a night.

Musharraf was in London for three days at the end of his European tour and returned home after meeting British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on the last day of his stay.

When the amount was disclosed in the Senate, none of the caretaker ministers stood up in the President's defence. The President's official entourage, including ministers and advisers, stayed in the same hotel, which is usually booked for international celebrities.

Presidential spokesman Maj Gen (retired) Rashid Qureshi said he had no idea about the tariff for Musharraf's room. Qureshi told The News that he would have to get the details from the Pakistani High Commissioner in Britain. Swati told the Senate: "Look how our President has lavishly spent the taxpayers' money in London."