‘I will not take this plane to Raiwind’: Maryam Nawaz on Punjab government’s Rs 11 billion luxury jet
LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has defended the provincial government’s luxury plane, saying it belongs to Punjab and not her own, insisting that she will not take it with her to Raiwand, the ancestral and residential property of the Sharif family.
Addressing the participants of the Senior Officers’ Leadership Course in Lahore, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed regret over the repeated discussions on the plane, saying that whenever her government highlights development initiatives, critics once again divert the discussion to the plane. He cited the Ramadan package, construction of about 45,000 km of road, improvement of sewage system and introduction of air ambulance among the measures taken by his government.
43 lakh deliveries at the door step. To give 10 thousand rupees to poor people in Ramadan package, they are not called anywhere, their door is knocked. In two and a half years, 45 thousand kilometers of roads have been built, sewerage and drainage have been improved, air ambulance has been built. And that ship is my ship… pic.twitter.com/ioFF1NkLnH
— PMLN (@pmln_org) October 2, 2026
“Whatever we do, the debate comes back to the plane,” he said, mocking those who questioned the use of the plane.
Chief Minister Maryam said her responsibilities required frequent travel, including trips to Oman and other places to receive awards, adding that such trips could not be made “on a motorcycle”. Defending the cost of the aircraft, the Punjab Chief Minister claimed that other provincial governments had acquired even more expensive assets without facing comparable criticism.
“My aircraft cost Rs 10 billion or Rs 11 billion, while other provinces bought helicopters worth Rs 16 billion,” he said, questioning why these purchases were not given much attention.
He also criticized his political opponents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, questioning the sources of funds used by the federal and Punjab governments for frequent travel, saying critics seemed to have something to talk about beyond the Punjab plane.
The controversy escalated when Maryam Nawaz used the Punjab government’s Gulfstream G500 for a private trip to London last month to attend her daughter Mahnoor Safdar’s graduation ceremony.
27.19 million rupees was deposited into the national exchequer by a man named Umar Abbas following criticism of the use of government aircraft for travel. The aircraft has been the subject of scrutiny both in terms of its purchase and subsequent use. Details published by US aircraft manufacturer Liberty Jet show that operating the Gulfstream G500 involves millions of dollars in annual costs.
Maryam Nawaz had earlier defended the plane while returning from London saying that the Chief Minister’s visit cannot be considered completely private as wherever she travels she is busy with public duties.
She argued that air travel saved valuable time and said she had no time to waste, maintaining that she would use aircraft whenever necessary for public welfare.
Chief Minister Punjab also drew attention to the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, expressing concern over internal security challenges in the province. He said that the war against terrorism is not limited to external security and that governance and internal security are equally important.
He said that the armed forces are playing their role in dealing with external security threats, but weaknesses in internal governance can ultimately create threats to external security as well.
The post ‘I will not take this plane back’: Maryam Nawaz on Punjab government’s Rs 11 billion luxury jet appeared first on Daily Pakistan News
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