Punjab officials tight-lipped amid claims of provincial govt purchasing luxury aircraft for ‘VIP transport’

LAHORE: Punjab officials are tight-lipped on reports that claim the provincial government has acquired a Gulfstream aircraft for “VIP transport role”. Meanwhile, the alleged move continues to draw criticism. On Monday, it was claimed by an X account, The Stratcom Bureau — which mainly shares defence and security news — that the “government of Punjab, Pakistan has acquired a new, 2019-manufactured Gulfstream GVII-G500 aircraft for their VIP transport role”. In a separate post by the same account, it was claimed that “the registration number of the luxury plane is N144S” and its “old Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) registration would be changed to Pakistani registration soon”. The post also said that the approximate asking price for the aircraft was $38 million to $42m. Meanwhile, the US FAA registry shows that the aircraft is currently owned by TVPX Aircraft Solutions Inc. Trustee, which, as per its website, commonly acts as the registered owner for aircraft trusts, facilitating the buying, selling, and leasing of planes, particularly for non-US citizens or for privacy reasons. According to flight tracking service Flight Radar, the aircraft has been flying between various airports in Punjab since at least February 12. Dawn reached out to several officials for a confirmation of the purchase’s claims, but they remained tight-lipped on the matter. Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman and Additional Chief Secretary Ahmad Raza Sarwar did not respond to calls and text messages to clarify the Punjab government’s position. Additional Secretary (Welfare) Waseem Hamid, however, denied the claims of the aircraft’s purchase and abruptly disconnected the call. Dawn also tried to contact Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, but she, too, did not respond to any calls or the query sent to her as a text message. Amid this silence by the officials, the reported purchase of the aircraft continues to draw criticism, including by former finance minister Miftah Ismail and ex-Sindh governor Mohammad Zubair. Sharing the Stratcom Bureau’s post on X, Miftah juxtaposed the reported purchase of the aircraft with the recent hike in petroleum prices by the government. “So while Pakistanis are supposed to tighten our belts and sacrifice, Punjab’s entitled VIPs are fastening their seatbelts for taking off in luxury private jets,” he said. Similarly, Zubair posted on X: “Such a beautiful plane worth more than 1,000 crore, which has been bought by the Punjab govt for the use of its CM and party’s elite.” He questioned whether a nation facing economic difficulties, with 45 per cent of the people living below the poverty line and amid record unemployment — afford this luxury. “The Punjab government may issue a denial if not true,” he said about the claims of the aircraft’s purchase.

By none@none.com (Mansoor Malik)