MPA seeks urgent debate on private use of Punjab govt aircraft by CM Maryam

A Punjab Assembly opposition member has requested an immediate debate regarding the purported use of a government aircraft for Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's private flight to London, which reportedly incurred expenses of approximately Rs12.5 million. Waqas Mahmood Maan, an MPA from the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party, submitted the adjournment motion to discuss the matter.

According to the motion, media sources claim that C.M. Maryam traveled to London for her daughter's graduation ceremony, using the provincial government's official aircraft. Maan argued that if these reports are accurate, the issue involves the personal use of public resources, potential misuse of authority, financial prudence, and safeguarding the public exchequer.

He emphasized the importance of this matter at a time when residents of Punjab are grappling with inflation, unemployment, and challenges in accessing basic services, as well as recent concerns over the performance of the provincial education system during the Class IX examinations. Maan sought clarification from the government concerning the purpose of the trip, the legal and administrative authority permitting the use of the official aircraft, and the budgetary category under which the expenses were classified.

He also inquired whether the expenditure from the public fund had obtained the necessary legal and financial approval. The Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP), a Punjab-based opposition group, responded to the Punjab government's defense of C.M. Maryam's use of the provincial jet for a private visit to London by describing it as a "confession."

TTAP's information secretary, Shayan Bashir, stated that the government had "confessed to the flight and produced nothing for the payment," dismissing claims that the chief minister had footed the bill herself as mere rhetoric and not backed by evidence. He questioned under which rule the aircraft was released for private use, who sanctioned the order, the payment amount, rate, and the government account it was credited to, as well as the location of the invoice.