Of jet and begging bowl

The sight of a sleek, brand-new Gulfstream G500 aircraft on the tarmac in Lahore is not a symbol of provincial progress but a jet-propelled slap in the face of millions of Pakistani taxpayers. While most of the country is struggling under the weight of crippling inflation and unemployment, the revelation that Punjab has acquired a 19-seater VIP aircraft worth a staggering Rs11.7 billion is a brazen insult, made even worse by the tall tales being presented to 'justify' the purchase. After initially attempting to downplay the reports, the government's defence has devolved into a series of whataboutisms and implausible claims.

Information Minister Azma Bukhari's primary retort - that if Bilawal Bhutto can use a plane in Sindh, Punjab can too - is the logic of a petulant child, not a responsible government. Quite frankly, neither Sindh nor Punjab should be operating private planes when they can't even provide basic social services to their citizens. But this whataboutism is still better than the previous official narrative that this luxury business jet is a necessary commercial asset for the 'upcoming' Air Punjab airline - which is actually nowhere near coming up.

If the government of Punjab thinks the CM's time is so precious that she must take a 20-minute flight from Lahore to Sialkot instead of a two-hour drive by road, she can save the exchequer millions by just taking virtual meetings. The plane's biggest critics, meanwhile, hardly have the moral high ground. Lest we forget, PTI chief Imran Khan routinely used helicopters to get from his private home in Bani Gala to the Prime Minister House during his tenure as PM, all while criticising his rivals for their free spending.

The people of Pakistan are tired of a political class that preaches sacrifice while perfecting the art of the luxury commute. Whether helicopters or private jets, it is time to ground these VIP fantasies and demand that our leaders either drive like the people they claim to serve, or fly commercial, like the leaders of Singapore, Norway, Sweden and others who we beg for aid and investment.