ISLAMABAD: The Senate session was informed on Friday that during his three years, eight months and 23 days in power, former prime minister Imran Khan used helicopter and the total hours of VVIP mis­­sions were 1,579.8 while a total of Rs434.43 million was incurred on these trips.

During the question hour, the senators exchanged barbs over the use of copter by then PM Khan from his Banigala reside­nce to the PM House, which cost the nation Rs434.43m from 2019 to March 2022.

State Minister Shahadat Awan said that a prime minister who used to lecture the country’s politicians and bureaucrats on simplicity and wanted to fix them had planned an austerity drive and promised to be part of it as well but actually opted for travel by helicopter that cost the nation millions during his tenure.

He noted the Public Accounts Com­mit­tee had taken its notice for recovery and directed NAB as well to look into the matter. He said that the matter might be ref­er­red to the standing committee concerned.

Senator Bahramand Tangi, who had asked the question, wondered how a prime minister cost the nation such a colossal amount in the name of austerity drive while his federal minister used to claim the prime minister’s helicopter travel cost at Rs55 per kilometer whereas Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi clarified that in aviation, hours and not kilometers, were counted.

He contended that the nation could not be fooled by their corrupt leader and the ministers of former PTI government should be ashamed of themselves.

JI seeks end to privileges, perks & VVIP protocol of judges, generals, lawmakers due to country’s grim economic situation

Giving a reference to details of assets of parliamentarians issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan, Jamaat-i-Islami lawmaker said that that politicians were becoming millionaires and billionaires but unfortunately the poor people of the country were not getting wheat flour.

He demanded that privileges, concessions, and VVIP protocols being given to judges, generals, parliamentarians, bureaucracy and government functionaries should be immediately withdrawn considering the worst economic situation the country was passing through now.

The upper house of parliament witnessed noisy scenes when Senator Tangi termed the PTI chief Imran Khan and his family thieves, triggering commotion on the opposition benches and PTI senators gathered around the dais of the chair and chanted slogans against the senator.

Senator Faisal Javed of PTI urged the chair to expel Mr Tangi from the Senate, calling him an ill-mannered person.

PPP Senator Palwasha Behram described the PTI chairman’s travel on helicopter as travel on bicycle with wings and taunted that Prime Minister of Denmark also used to travel by such a bicycle about which the former prime minister used to refer in his speeches.

She wanted to know destinations of the VVIP missions and if the private firm’s helicopter had also been used for the purpose. If so, she said, then its details should also be shared with the Senate.

APP adds: State Minister for Law and Justice Shahadat Awan also gave the breakdown of helicopter expenses incurred by the former prime minister.

The helicopter was used for a total of 1,579.8 flying hours in about four years with an average cost of Rs275,000 per hour, he said.

As per breakdown of expenses with total flights a year, flying hours and the expenditures incurred were Rs131.94m spent on 479.8 hours of flying in 2019; Rs143.55m on 522.0 hours in 2020; Rs123.8m on 450.2 hours in 2021; Rs35.14m on 127.8 hours in Jan-March, 2022 .

Published in Dawn, January 14th, 2023