Imran’s helicopter rides cost national kitty Rs1b, Senate told

The Nation  |  Jan 29, 2023

ISLAMABAD     -   The previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government spent around one billion rupees from the national kitty for VVIP helicopter rides under the instructions of Prime Minister’s Office from 2019 to 2021.

At the same time, Chairman PTI Imran Khan was the only chief executive of the country among five ex-prime ministers who had no camp office and thus he spent no money from the official funds for this purpose.

The federal government in its written response informed the Senate that according to the details provided by the Cabinet Division, an amount of Rs 946.3 million was spent on VVIP helicopter missions by 6 Aviation Squadron under instructions of the PM’s Office during 2019 to 2021 when Imran Khan was the prime minister of the country.

Before this, the government had informed the upper house that ex-premier Khan used official helicopter to commute from his Bani Gala residence in Islamabad to PM House for 1,579.8 hours from 2019 to March 2022 and an amount of Rs 434.43 million was incurred on these trips from the national exchequer. Unveiling the details of the expenditures of camp offices, the government said that a total amount of Rs 26 million was spent from the official funds on camp offices by former prime ministers since 2008. Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had three camp offices, two in Lahore and another one in his hometown Multan during his tenure from March 2008 to June 2012, which cost an amount of Rs 10.8 million. Ex-premier and incumbent National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf had one camp office on Chakwal Road while he was in office from June 2012 to March 2013 and an amount of Rs 5.5 million was spent on it. Similarly, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had his camp office at his residence in Jati Umra, Lahore during his tenure from June 2013 to July 2017, which cost an amount of Rs 4.5 million. His successor Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had his camp office at his residence in Islamabad while he was in the office of prime minister from August 2017 to March 2018 and an amount of Rs 5.2 million was incurred on it from the exchequer.

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