K-P 'copter bill' was signed to save Imran: Fazl

PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly, dominated by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), recently passed legislation to save former premier Imran Khan from a scandal involving the use of public funds to hire expensive helicopters for government functionaries.

He said this on Sunday while addressing the All Party Conference (APC) in Peshawar, organised against the PTI-led K-P government and to discuss the prevailing law and order and economic situation of the country

The legislation was passed by the provincial assembly last month, allowing the chief minister to hire an aircraft or helicopter at public expense from the open market or from the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Air Force, or the federal government for official use.

The opposition had protested against the legislation, claiming the bill would allow everyone to use aircraft or helicopters at public expense like 'rickshaws'.

Addressing the APC today, Fazl also blamed the provincial government for the deteriorating security situation in the province, warning it to “take immediate steps otherwise the opposition parties would take a tough decision”.

Also read: NAB writes to ECP over copter use

Fazl called for holding the K-P government accountable for billions of rupees in irregularities.

“The provincial government has taken loans of Rs900 billion. The helicopter bill was passed by the assembly to save Imran Khan from the helicopter scandal. We condemn it,” he said.

Fazl said that corruption stories of the PTI-led K-P government had eclipsed the scandals of the past, accusing K-P Chief Minister Mahmood Khan of being involved in scandals worth billions of rupees.

“The provincial government should provide relief to the people by ensuring the supply of cheap flour,” he demanded.

The PDM chief said previous Imran-led federal government sabotaged the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and ruined the country’s economy.