Did Imran Khan's helicopter rides cost Pakistan Rs 1 billion?

Islamabad: Former Prime Minister of Pakistan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s helicopter rides cost the national kitty Rs 1 billion, reported The Nation. Khan has come under the scanner for his helicopter rides while in office. The expense details were presented in the Pakistani Senate.

The VVIP helicopter rides of Khan cost around Rs 1 billion that were carried out on the instructions of the Prime Minister’s Office from 2019 to 2021, reported The Nation.

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 from 2019 to 2021 when Imran Khan was the prime minister of the country.

Before this, the government had informed the upper house that Khan used the official helicopter to commute from his Bani Gala residence in Islamabad to PM House for 1,579.8 hours from 2019 to March 2022.

A helicopter carries former Prime Minister Imran Khan ahead of starting an anti-government rally in Rawalpindi. File image /AFP

The amount of Rs 434.43 million was incurred on these trips from the national exchequer, reported The Nation.

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, reported The Nation.

Meanwhile, 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, reported The Nation.

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. An amount of Rs 5.2 million was incurred on it from it the exchequer.

Notably, while Pakistan is on the brink of economic chaos, the political class is using exchequer money for their movements when the nation is reeling under heavy debts.

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