Last week, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif defended her use of the provincial government’s recently acquired Gulfstream jet for a private trip to London. She emphasized that the aircraft belongs to the office of the chief minister and noted that all four provincial chief ministers have access to similar aviation facilities. However, officials from the other three provinces revealed that their aviation arrangements differ significantly.
Speaking at a ceremony in Multan on September 17, Maryam Nawaz addressed criticism regarding her use of the jet to attend her daughter’s graduation ceremony in London. She stated, “The plane is not mine; it belongs to the chief minister’s office.” She questioned why the criticism was focused solely on her when all chief ministers reportedly have access to such facilities.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari echoed this sentiment in an interview two days later, asserting that every chief minister owns an aircraft and has the right to use it. Bokhari argued, “All chief ministers utilize their aircraft, so singling out Punjab’s chief minister is unjust.”
Despite these claims, the aviation assets across provinces are quite varied. Punjab possesses a luxury Gulfstream G500 jet, which reportedly arrived in Pakistan in 2025. Balochistan operates a Learjet 45XR, in service since 2012, along with two helicopters. Sindh has a Learjet 45 from 2006 and two helicopters, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) owns only a single helicopter purchased in 2010 and lacks any fixed-wing aircraft.
Sahibzada Hassan Ali, press secretary to the KP chief minister, confirmed that the provincial government owns one single-engine Eurocopter Écureuil helicopter, acquired in 2010. It can carry up to three passengers. Hassan Ali also mentioned that a previously operated helicopter crashed during flood rescue efforts. The current helicopter, an AS-350 B3 variant now known as the Airbus H-125, has logged about 700 flight hours. KP Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah added that while the chief minister does not have an aircraft, he does have access to this helicopter.
In Balochistan, the provincial government operates a Learjet 45XR aircraft capable of seating seven passengers, spokesperson Shahid Rind. The province has also established Balochistan Aviation, a company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, to manage its aviation assets. Alongside the Learjet, Balochistan owns two helicopters: an Mi-171 acquired in 2016, currently grounded with a 14-passenger capacity, and a Cessna Caravan from 2007 that can carry eight passengers.
Sindh’s aviation assets include a Learjet 45 manufactured in 2006 and two helicopters inducted in 1992. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah’s spokesperson, Rasheed Channa, explained that one helicopter accommodates three to four passengers, while the other seats six to seven.
The Gulfstream G500 at the heart of the controversy over Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s London trip was previously registered in the United States as N144S. The Punjab chief minister recently disclosed that the aircraft cost approximately Rs9 billion. The jet had already drawn attention prior to the trip. Initially, Punjab officials did not confirm the aircraft’s acquisition for the chief minister’s use. Information Minister Azma Bokhari at one stage linked the jet to plans for a proposed commercial airline, Air Punjab. However, ministers later acknowledged the aircraft is used for the chief minister’s official travel.
Punjab also has another operational aircraft, a Hawker 400XP, which remains in service. A government official, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the issue, confirmed this detail.
Leave an opinion