Rs800,000 spent daily on Imran’s copter travel

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb Thursday said that former prime minister Imran Khan used a helicopter to travel from his residence in Bani Gala to PM's Office, spending over Rs984.3 million, from August 2018 to March 2022.

Addressing a news conference, she said one-hour journey via helicopter costs around Rs275,000, and the distance from Imran Khan’s residence to the PM House is about 15 kilometres. She said that the use of helicopter cost an average of Rs800,000 per day, and as per the statistics, the total maintenance cost was Rs512 million and the inflight expenses were Rs472 million. From August 2018 to March 2022, the helicopter flew 2,723 hours.

Total annual flight hours and costs: From August to December 2018: 289 hours, expenses Rs37.9 million • 2019: 742.4 hours, cost Rs131.9 million • 2020: 729 hours, cost Rs143.6 million • 2021: 800.9 hours, cost Rs123.8 million. From January to March 2022: 164.5 hours, expenses Rs35.1 million.

Annual budget allocated for maintenance: Fiscal Year 2020-2019: Rs173.5 million. Fiscal year 2020-2021: Rs24. 2 million. Fiscal Year 2021-2022: Rs134.3 million.

Marriyum Aurangzeb also demanded money trail from Imran Khan, alleging that the money Imran Khan made from Toshakhana was more than what he earned throughout his life. She alleged that Imran used the Prime Minister’s office for business and explained that his earlier declared assets were Rs20 million, which firstly reached Rs28 million, and when the Zaman Park house was added, then his assets jumped to Rs141 million, including gifts.

The minister claimed that in the first two months of his assuming power, there was an increase of Rs85 million in his assets from Toshakhana, while he retained 58 gifts. If his income was calculated, it would make Rs142 million. “There was no increase in his assets in the last 41 years of his life, if Toshakhana was excluded. And he says, 'my gifts, my will'. Whatever you say, you will have to provide the money trail of Rs30 million you managed initially to retain the gifts,” she noted.

She said that as per the FBR record, his income was not enough to pay that amount. As you sought accountability of those whose parents had died and now it was your turn to provide receipts to explain how your wealth increased and how you bought the gifts at 20 per cent value. After that, the value of Toshakhana gifts increased by 50 per cent. Marriyum said Imran’s wealth reached Rs85 million from Rs20 million in the first two years and then to Rs142 million in his four-year rule.

Marriyum said whatever gifts are received from foreign dignitaries belong to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and not to any individual. “Therefore, you could not buy those gifts at 20 per cent price and then sell those at four-time higher price,” the minister said.

“These are gifts but not your shop. Toshakhana is a treasury in any government. You can keep the gifts at a fixed price, but you cannot sell those in the markets,” she added. The minister said the gifts included a wrist watch, cufflinks and a ring, which were valued at Rs140 million. He bought those gifts for Rs30 million at 20 per cent price, and then their value increased by 50 per cent. She alleged that Imran Khan was lying about the gifts and their value. She noted that Imran Khan's spouse was registered in FBR-2018, in which her old name is mentioned; so her details were also necessary to be shared.

Terming the PTI government economic terrorists, the information minister said they were falsifying the economic indicators during their tenure, and they were also doing that same today. She said that apart from lies, his four-year performance on inflation, debt, unemployment, foreign policy, non-completion of projects was before all and sundry.

Grilling Imran Khan, she said if he waves a fake letter in a public meeting and tries to build a narrative, then the people of Pakistan also demand answers to some of the letters, to which he must respond.

She said that answer to the performance of four years, 10 million jobs, five million houses, sale of Kashmir, destruction of foreign policy, starvation of the people of Pakistan, the rate of inflation had gone up from 3.9% to 16%. She continued that Rs43,000 billion loans had been added after 2018, and asked him to why such a huge amount was added to loans which was 80pc of total loans obtained in the 70-year history of Pakistan.

Marriyum said that the purpose of changing the subject to a threat letter was only to cover up his incompetence, his lies, his hypocrisy and loot. She said the cipher was got written by themselves, sent in a sealed envelope through the secretary, bypassing the Foreign Office, to which the National Security Committee and DG ISPR responded in detail. She said remaining details would come up as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced the cabinet committee on national security to probe the matter.

She predicted that Imran Khan was going to wave another letter soon for the decision of foreign funding in the Election Commission is coming in 30 days; before that he would start waving the letter and he would say that a conspiracy was being hatched against him.

About the foreign funding case, she said the ECP had formed a committee on PMLN and had asked Farrukh Habib to present the objections if he had any about the declared accounts of PMLN. Akbar S. Babar had raised objections on the PTI funding and a case was made against him.

Criticising Imran Khan, she said he was again standing on a container and running a systematic campaign against the institutions, through robotic tweets, through software; those are BOT tweets. She added that instructions have been issued to the PTA to take immediate action where Imran Khan had launched a systematic campaign against institutions through robotic software.

She explained that they will be removed and the robotic tweets would be marked; the process had started within the Ministry of Information and the list would be provided to the PTA while within the PTA, it had its own mechanism, through which identification had begun.

The minister said, “I would like to warn that wherever they are installed, they can be detected by signals. The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) have been alerted”.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said for the first time in Pakistan’s history, a corrupt, an incapable and liar premier was ousted through a constitutional no-trust motion. She said the government had received information that some files were missing, but their details would be obtained. She added they had no information regarding the things, Imran had held consultations. She regretted that the former PTI regime had installed jammers even in the media gallery.

About former adviser to Imran Khan on accountability, the minister said that Shahzad Akbar had foreign nationality and had fled the country, but the government knew the way to bring him back to Pakistan.

Regarding a close friend of spouse of Imran Khan, she said had there been no evidence of corruption, Farah Khan would not have fled the country. Meanwhile, reacting to the data released by the government, PTI Senior Vice-President Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said the hotchpotch ruling coalition was faced with severe psychological issues. He advised them to immediately undergo a check-up.

"The ruling coalition appears suffering from helicopter phobia. Those devoid of brain, want to do accounting, but they don’t know how to do it. The PM has his own official helicopter and it costs minimum expenditure on usage,” he noted. He continued that comparing commercial costs with in-house facility is ridiculous and a stupid thing to do commercial accounting. Those, he added, could not provide receipts were accusing Imran of taking away diaries. “They were already corrupt and dishonest and now explain to the nation about the conspiracy and selling the nation. Announce new elections, the nation will reckon with itself,” Fawad said.