The helicopter ride was between 2019-2021. (file)
Islamabad, Pakistan:
The helicopter ride of former Prime Minister of Pakistan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan cost Rs 1 billion, reports The Nation.
Khan has come under the scanner for helicopter rides while in office. The details of the expenditure were presented in the Pakistani Senate.
According to The Nation report, the cost of Khan’s VVIP helicopter ride from 2019 to 2021 on the instructions of the Prime Minister’s Office was around one billion rupees.
The federal government in its written reply informed the Senate that as per details provided by the Cabinet Division, an amount of Rs 946.3 million was spent on VVIP helicopter missions by the 6 Aviation Squadron under the directions of the PM’s Office from 2019 to 2021. When Imran Khan was the Prime Minister of the country.
Earlier, the government had informed the Upper House that Khan used the official helicopter to travel from his Bani Gala residence to the PM House in Islamabad for 1,579.8 hours from 2019 to March 2022.
Rs 434.43 million was spent from the national exchequer on these visits, reported The Nation.
Unveiling details of camp offices expenditure, the government said a total of Rs 26 million was spent from official funds on camp offices by prime ministers prior to 2008.
Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had three camp offices, two in Lahore and one in his hometown Multan, which cost Rs 10.8 million during his tenure from March 2008 to June 2012, The Nation reported.
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf had a camp office on Chakwal Road when 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 built his camp office at his residence in Jati Umra, Lahore during his tenure from June 2013 to July 2017, which cost Rs 4.5 million Was. The Nation reported.
His successor Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s camp office was at his residence in Islamabad when he was Prime Minister from August 2017 to March 2018. 52 lakh rupees were spent on this from the treasury.
Notably, while Pakistan is on the brink of economic anarchy, the political class is using state coffers for its movements when the country is heavily in debt.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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