Punjab government’s luxury aircraft: What’s the real story?

ISLAMABAD: There is a lot of discussion on the news of the Punjab government purchasing a luxury aircraft.

The purchase of the aircraft received even more support when the Punjab government’s stance regarding this aircraft came to light.

According to aviation sources, the price of the aircraft purchased by the Punjab government is a Gulfstream G500 with the US registration N144S. The cost of the aircraft is Rs 10 billion.

According to the flight history, the 7-year-old aircraft arrived in Lahore from North America via Egypt on December 28. The aircraft was grounded at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal Airport for about 40 days. After this, the aircraft was renovated. The aircraft made its first flight in Pakistan on February 6 from Lahore to Multan.

This Gulfstream G500 is a long-range luxury aircraft that was manufactured in the year 2019 and is usually used by heads of state and businessmen.

According to the documents, the plane started domestic flights on February 6 and mostly flew under its registration number call sign, but between February 10 and 12, it flew from Lahore to Quetta and from Lahore to Mianwali under the call sign ‘Punjab Two’. It again flew from Lahore to Sialkot and back on February 16 using the same call sign.

According to the Gulfstream Airways website, the plane is capable of flying at a speed of 1,000 kilometers per hour and covering a distance of 8,334 kilometers in a single flight. It has a capacity of 13 passengers sitting in a row, while passengers can also rest on the plane during long routes. According to the website, the new G500 plane sells for up to $45 million.

Maria Memon, citing a Dawn News report in her report, said that earlier in 2016, the Shehbaz Sharif government had expressed its desire to buy an aircraft, which after criticism, they argued that we are trying to save the government of Pakistan’s money by buying a second-hand and cheap aircraft.

According to the report, on the other hand, a bitter reality of Punjab is that the people there are currently being pushed towards the poverty line. And a large number of people have been forced to reduce their expenses to control their budget over the last ten years.

They are even pulling their children out of schools due to lack of education expenses. The poverty rate in the province is at its highest level in 11 years. In addition, if we talk about income inequality, it is also at its highest level in 27 years. According to government data, poverty has increased by 23 percent in 4 years. In Punjab alone, 11 million children are out of school

It should have been that these Rs 10 billion funds could have been provided to various sectors including education and health, but no, the rulers say that we will only take one plane from it, and the irony is that government spokespersons are making every effort to protect this initiative.