KP raises temperature with sustained volley against Punjab govt over planes controversy

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government on Thursday raised questions over the alleged purchase of a 19-seater luxury plane, which the Punjab government is considering to include in its new airline project.

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

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

In an article on

Ismail also received criticism today.

As public attention increasingly turns to state spending and accountability, analysts say the episode highlights a familiar pattern: Major decisions involving VIP privileges are made public only through fragments — flight data, employment notices and open source intelligence — rather than through formal disclosure.