LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz defencded provincial government’s luxury aircraft, saying the plane belongs to Punjab and not to her personally, and insisting that she will not take it with her to Raiwind, the ancestral and residential estate of the Sharif family.
Addressing participants of Senior Officers Leadership Course in Lahore, CM Maryam Nawaz lamented repeated discussions on aircraft, saying that whenever her government highlights development initiatives, critics once again turn the discussion towards the plane. She cited the Ramadan package, around 45,000 kilometres of road construction, improvements to the sewerage system and the introduction of an air ambulance among the initiatives undertaken by her government.
“Whatever we do, the discussion comes back to the plane,” she said, while taking a sarcastic swipe at those questioning her use of the aircraft.
CM Maryam said her responsibilities required frequent travel, including trips to Oman and other destinations to receive awards, adding that such journeys could not be made “on a motorcycle”. Defending the aircraft’s cost, the Punjab chief minister claimed that other provincial governments had acquired even more expensive assets without facing comparable criticism.
“My plane costs Rs10 billion or Rs11 billion, while other provinces bought helicopters worth Rs16 billion,” she said, questioning why those purchases did not receive similar attention.
She also criticised her political opponents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, questioning the source of funds used for repeated journeys towards the federal and Punjab governments and saying that critics appeared to have little else to discuss beyond Punjab’s aircraft.
The controversy intensified after Maryam Nawaz used the Punjab government’s Gulfstream G500 for a private trip to London last month to attend the graduation ceremony of her daughter, Mahnoor Safdar.
After criticism over use of the government aircraft for the trip, Rs27.19 million was deposited into the national exchequer through a person named Umar Abbas. The aircraft has remained a subject of scrutiny over both its purchase and subsequent use. Details published by US aircraft company Liberty Jet indicate that operating a Gulfstream G500 involves annual expenses running into hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Maryam Nawaz previously defended aircraft during her return from London, saying that a chief minister’s visit could not be considered entirely private because she remained engaged in public responsibilities wherever she travelled.
She argued that air travel saved valuable time and said she did not have time to waste, maintaining that she would use the aircraft whenever necessary for public welfare.
Punjab CM also turned her attention to the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, raising concerns over the province’s internal security challenges. She said the fight against terrorism was not limited to external security and that governance and internal security were equally important.
Armed forces are performing their role in dealing with external security threats, but weaknesses in internal governance could ultimately create risks for external security as well, she said.
