LAHORE MIRROR — Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has paid Rs27.19 million in expenses incurred from using the provincial government’s aircraft for her private trip to London earlier this month.
Maryam travelled to London aboard the Punjab government’s Gulfstream G500 to attend her daughter Mahnoor Safdar’s graduation ceremony. She had described the visit as a private trip.
The use of the provincial government’s luxury aircraft for the journey drew criticism from opposition leaders and other critics, who questioned the use of public resources for a private visit.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Zahid Bukhari had previously said CM Maryam Nawaz would personally bear all expenses incurred during the trip.
فواد چوہدری کی جہالت کا جواب گروک نے ہی دے دیا
بینکوں میں چیک جمع ہونے کے بعد کلئیرنس اگلے دن ہی ہوتی ہے
جو 55 روپے کلومیٹر ہیلی کاپٹر چلواتا تھا اور جس کے لیڈر نے ارب روپے لگا دئیے وہ تو چپ ہی رہے تو بہتر ہے pic.twitter.com/MWc5hPFfeg— Azma Zahid Bokhari (@AzmaBokhariPMLN) September 17, 2026
She had explained that the exact cost would be calculated after the visit and subsequently paid, as government procedures required expenses to be assessed and deposited through the prescribed legal process.
According to the payment receipt, Rs27,194,004 was deposited on September 17 into the Punjab government’s treasury account at the Valencia branch of the National Bank of Pakistan through a Bank of Punjab cheque issued by a citizen, Umar Abbas.
The payment covered the required expenses incurred in connection with the use of the government aircraft.
However, the receipt subsequently became the subject of criticism over a stamp bearing the date September 18.
Responding to the criticism on X, Bukhari said banks cleared cheques on the following day after they were deposited, explaining the difference between the deposit date and the clearance stamp.
