‘No Time to Waste’: CM Maryam on Luxury Jet Controversy
News Desk
Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz has paid Rs27.194 million to the provincial government for the use of its official Gulfstream G500 aircraft during her recent private visit to London.
According to payment documents, Rs27,194,004 was deposited into the Punjab government’s treasury account at the National Bank of Pakistan’s Valencia Branch in Lahore on Thursday.
The payment was made through a Bank of Punjab cheque, while the pay-in slip listed a citizen named Umar Abbas as the depositor. The payment followed the Punjab government’s earlier assurance that Maryam Nawaz would personally bear the expenses of the aircraft used for her London trip.
Maryam Nawaz had travelled to London earlier this month to attend the graduation ceremony of her daughter, Mahnoor Safdar. Her use of the provincial government’s aircraft for what she described as a private visit drew criticism from opposition figures and other critics.
Addressing the criticism, Maryam Nawaz said there was no such thing as a completely private visit for a chief minister, arguing that she remained engaged in public service wherever she travelled.
She said air travel saved valuable time and maintained that she would continue using the official aircraft whenever necessary for the welfare and development of the people.
Speaking at the inauguration of an electric bus service in Multan, the chief minister also responded to criticism surrounding the aircraft, saying detractors were particularly focused on the “Rs9 billion jet.” She clarified that the aircraft was not her personal property but the official aircraft of the Punjab chief minister.
Maryam Nawaz recalled that she had travelled by boat to reach flood-affected people but said motorcycles or Chingchi rickshaws could not be used for international travel.
She further claimed that time was her most valuable resource and that she could not afford to waste it. She also said she had paid the aircraft expenses herself.
Referring to criticism on social media, she remarked that some people “get dollars for criticizing on social media.”
The Gulfstream G500 aircraft has itself remained a subject of controversy, with its reported acquisition cost drawing criticism of the Punjab government. Reports have put its value at tens of millions of dollars.
The reported Rs27.194 million reimbursement covers the aircraft-related expenses of the London trip. Questions about the use of a government aircraft for a private journey had earlier also been raised in the Punjab Assembly, including requests for details about the expenditure and the authority under which the aircraft was used.
