LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has paid Rs27,194,004 for the use of the official aircraft during her visit to London, settling a bill that had become the centre of a political controversy.
A receipt of the payment submitted on behalf of the chief minister was obtained by The Lahore Times. According to the document, the full amount was deposited through the National Bank of Pakistan into the relevant government account.
The pay-in slip lists the account title as “ZGBMRA”, and the document states that the amount was deposited under the head of expenses for the use of the official aircraft.
The final bill for the use of the aircraft had been fixed at Rs27,194,004, the sum that has now been deposited into the relevant government account.
The chief minister had travelled to London to attend the graduation ceremony of her daughter, and the use of the provincial aircraft drew sharp criticism from opposition leaders. A PTI member of the Punjab Assembly had submitted an adjournment motion seeking a debate on the matter, while critics demanded documentary proof that costs had been paid.
At the time, the Punjab government maintained that Maryam Nawaz would personally bear the expenses, a position repeatedly stated by provincial ministers. The deposit receipt now appears to fulfil that commitment.
Speaking at the inauguration of an electric bus service in Multan, Maryam Nawaz addressed the controversy directly, saying the criticism was aimed not at her but at Punjab’s development.
She said her critics were troubled by the Rs9 billion aircraft, adding that the plane was not hers but belonged to the office of the Punjab chief minister, and that she would not take it home.
The chief minister said every chief minister has an official aircraft, yet only she faced criticism. In her view, her opponents were upset not by the plane but by her work. She recalled travelling by boat to reach flood victims during the floods.
Explaining the trip, she said it was for her daughter’s graduation ceremony and that she had paid nearly Rs27.5 million from her own pocket for the use of the aircraft, a figure broadly in line with the deposited amount.
Maryam Nawaz also rejected complaints from other provinces. She said everyone stands up and claims Punjab has taken their share, but Punjab has never usurped anyone’s right and has instead continued to give from its own share to others.
Her remarks echo a long-running debate over resource distribution. Under the 7th National Finance Commission (NFC) Award of 2009, the formula moved beyond population alone to include factors such as poverty and inverse population density, with Punjab accepting a share lower than a purely population-based formula would have given it, in support of smaller provinces.
The chief minister also criticised a recent visit by political figures from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She said a few people had come from KP to “attack” Punjab, that the KP chief minister forcibly sat in a police vehicle to create a spectacle, and that the visitors’ trip to Lahore had failed.
The payment is likely to be cited by the Punjab government as evidence of accountability in the use of state assets, while opposition parties may continue to question the purchase and use of official aircraft during a period of economic pressure.
The episode unfolds as the federal government enforces a strict austerity drive, including curbs on foreign travel and official spending. Earlier this week, the chief minister had welcomed the federal relief package for the public.