ONE ought to lend an ear to Chairman Public Accounts Committee Ch Nisar Ali Khan, who has raised objections against a large sum of money being spent on foreign trips of the President, Prime Minister and other ministers. There is dire need to minimise foreign tours, both in terms the number of visits and of the strength of entourage, and they must only be undertaken when absolutely essential; and junketeering must come to an end. Ch Nisar also brought to light some cases of financial irregularities, including unnecessary travels and privileges, committed by the Foreign Office and some embassies abroad. His intention to carry out a probe and bring the guilty to book must be positively responded to. While Ch Nisar is known for rarely missing an opportunity to target an opponent, his anger at foreign junkets should not be dismissed lightly. Granted that trips abroad on important occasions become indispensable, but the way our leaders travel abroad, accompanied by huge entourages, hiring chartered planes and staying at luxury hotels, they only cause a big hole in the national exchequer. Most of the times the objective behind the visits takes a secondary position, and the reality of the excursion is revealed as personal enjoyment at public expense. The cost of travelling has also increased by many notches and the fact that these tours have to be paid for in foreign currency adds an extra burden to the exchequer that is already under severe pressure in the present economic crisis. On assuming power, the government had promised to exercise austerity, but it is nowhere in sight. Wasteful expenditure in its multifarious forms continues unchecked in the same old fashion. Considering the financial straits the country is in, those at the helm should have been eager to end the negative tradition. The government must do something that proves it is different from previous set-ups. Doing away with junkets would be one thing that the public would appreciate.