KP raises temperature with sustained defections in Punjab govt over jet controversy

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government on Thursday raised questions over the alleged purchase of a 19-seater luxury jet, which the Punjab government plans to include in its newly proposed airline.

The Punjab government’s apparent acquisition of a high-end Gulfstream business jet has drawn attention after an official job advertisement seeking a pilot specifically trained on the plane surfaced, offering rare confirmation of a major purchase that authorities have not publicly acknowledged. Open source aviation tracking and submissions from strategic affairs observers indicate the provincial government has acquired a 2019-manufactured Gulfstream GVII-G500, a long-range luxury aircraft typically used by heads of state and corporate executives.

The jet, bearing the manufacturer’s serial number 72022 and previously registered in the US as N144S, has been observed operating VIP flights to Punjab in recent days. Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said a day ago that it was meant for Air Punjab. Former PML-N stalwarts Miftah Ismail and Mohammad Zubair had also criticized the jet.

In a post on X today, Adviser to KP Finance Minister Muzammil Aslam said that on one hand, the government sold 75% of Pakistan International Airlines shares for just Rs.10 billion, while on the other, the Punjab government reportedly bought a jet for Rs11b.

Ismail also made the criticism today.

As public attention increasingly turns to government spending and accountability, analysts say the episode highlights a familiar pattern: Big decisions involving VIP privileges become public only through fragments — flight data, job postings and open source intelligence — rather than formal disclosure.