PTI’s Naeem ul Haq issues clarification on PM’s use of helicopter

ISLAMABAD: Naeem ul Haq, Adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Political Affairs, slammed what he called “an ill-advised and ill-informed debate” in the media about helicopter’s expense.

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In a Twitter statement on Thursday, Haq said that Prime Minister Khan was using helicopter only twice a week.“On Friday evening when he moves to Bani Gala and on Monday morning when he moves back,” he said.

“An ill advised and ill informed debate going on in the media about PMs helicopter expenses. The fact of the matter is that the helicopter is used only twice in a week. On Friday evening when he moves to Bani Gala and on Monday morning when he moves back,” Haq tweeted.

In a second tweet, he said that it was PM Khan's directive not to cause trouble for commuters during his travel. 

"PM wants that no traffic should be stopped on roads when he travels and people should not be troubled. He also wants that expenditure incurred on security arrangements by posting hundreds of policemen on a route and large number of vehicles should be curtailed."

Haq's tweets came days after a fierce debate dominated mainstream and social media platforms over the prime minister's mode of travel. 

Senior columnist Saleem Safi first reported in his weekly column that Prime Minister Khan was traveling to and from Bani Gala and PM House by helicopter on a daily basis.

PTI MNA Ali Muhammad Khan, confirming the use of helicopter, said that the criticism was unjustified.

He said that it was  cost-effective to use the helicopter for three minutes as it helped avoid road blockage and was a safe commute for the prime minister.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry also created a controversy when he went on to claim that air travel was costing only Rs55 per kilometer.