The cash-strapped government of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday garnered Rs 23 lakh when it auctioned off eight buffaloes kept by his predecessor Nawaz Sharif at the PM House for his “gastronomic requirements”.

Facing huge debts and liabilities, Prime Minister Khan has launched a massive austerity drive. Under the plan, the government auctioned 61 luxury cars last week, raising Rs 200 million.

The plan is to auction 102 surplus cars, including bullet- proof vehicles, and four helicopters used by the cabinet.

The sale of three buffaloes and five calves belonging to the PM House fetched a total of Rs 2,302,000 in an auction held in Islamabad, Dawn said, adding that most of them were purchased by supporters of the three-time Prime Minister.

Of the eight buffaloes sold, one was purchased by a Sharif supporter, Qalb Ali, who spent Rs 385,000 for the bovine.

Though the animal’s actual valuation was a mere Rs 120,000, Ali, a resident of Jhangi Sayedan, an area close to Islamabad, said he paid triple the amount on account of its sentimental value.

“I purchased this buffalo owing to my affection for Nawaz Sharif,” he said. “I will keep it as a symbol of Nawaz Sharif and our sister, Maryam Nawaz (Sharif’s daughter).”

Two of the four calves were purchased by the PML-N worker Fakhar Warraich for Rs 215,000 and Rs 270,000. Another man purchased the third calf for Rs 182,000.

Sharif, 68, was sentenced to 10-years in jail in a corruption case in July. He was released on bail this month after a top court suspended the sentence. Naeem-ul-Haq, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Political Affairs said the buffaloes were kept by Sharif when he was the Prime Minister. PTI