Pakistan’s newly-elected Prime Minister Imran Khan recently chose to travel from the Prime Minister House to his private Bani Gala residence in a helicopter. It sparked a major row on the social media considering the austerity measures introduced by Imran Khan’s government. Information minister Fawad Chaudhry tried to come to Khan’s rescue. But things took a hilariously dramatic turn when Chaudhry told local media that Khan’s helicopter rides cost just Rs. 50-55 ($0.4) per kilometer.
Actually he always traveled on “THOOK WALA HELICOPTER” so he dont know that how costly a heli can be,
Shame on #FawadChaudhry— Mujahid Ikhlaq (@mujahidikhlaq) August 28, 2018
Just found out how #FawadChaudhry
Figured out amount #helicopter pic.twitter.com/SuHKVuSRRt— Dileep Kumar Bheel (@iamkkumarr) August 28, 2018
Information Minister #FawadChaudhry saying helicopter costs Rs 55/km is ridiculous. According to him
Bani Gala to PM house:
Helicopter ?Rs 294
Uber ? Rs 411
I think PTI should start some Helicopter Service instead of Orange Line Train, Metro etc as its economical+Time Saving— Muhammad Khan (@MuhammaDXhan) August 28, 2018
Fawad Chaudhry used Google to calculate the costs
Following Chaudhry’s startling revelation, the social media is flooded with memes and jokes mocking Chaudhry’s calculations. The information minister said he had “used Google to calculate” the cost of Imran Khan’s helicopter ride from the PM House to his Bani Gala residence. Chaudhry told a local TV channel that helicopter rides aren’t that expensive if someone owns it personally rather than hiring one on rent.
#FawadChaudhry sir the way you were confident and passing remarks about KS, lagta ha ap k tu abu bi pilot they, jo ap ko itna achy say pata tha while giving interview that a heli cost @Rs55/km
— Mujahid Ikhlaq (@mujahidikhlaq) August 28, 2018
I am selling my car.
Swift automatic
2015
Color Red
Bumper to Bumper Genuine
Total Mileage: 52,000Anyone interested please inbox. It’s very urgent as I am planning to buy #helicopter 55/km #FawadChaudhry
— Hameed Junejo (@HameedJunejoPPP) August 28, 2018
Newly Designed #helicopters Which Costs Only Rs 55/KM in #NayaPakistan ??#helicopter #ItsFunToBeYoung #ImranKhan #haha #lol #FunnyPost #FunPost #FawadChaudhry #imrankhanPTI #AmirLiaquat #AmirLiaqat #PTI #Lahore #Quetta #balochistan #Dubai #USA #UAE #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/vBvQQPgl2C
— JaHaN ZaiB【ツ】 (@zEsHan_xafar) August 29, 2018
#helicopter#NayaPakistan #FawadChaudhry #ARYNewsUrdu #PTI #GeoNews
Waiting for my ride ? pic.twitter.com/rdE4MQnbPA— MaskMan (@MaskManpak) August 29, 2018
.@fawadchaudhry, the Captain, enjoying his 55 rupees per kilometer chopper ride. #FawadChaudhry #Pakistan #ImranKhan #ImranKhanPrimeMinister #Transparency #خنزیراعظم #OnThisDay #Helicopter pic.twitter.com/RGXpLyq3Ln
— Noor Pamiri (@noorpamiri) August 28, 2018
After successful 5 years in Pakhtunkhwa, #Tabdeeli sarkar has kick started heli service between Swat and #Peshawar at the very outset of its 2nd term in power.@MahmoodKhanCM#KPKUpdates #ImranKhanPrimeMinister #Naya_Pakistan #FawadChaudhry #helicopter #CMPunjab pic.twitter.com/mV0hn9EHxQ
— Arif Yousafzai (@journalist11) August 28, 2018
Imran Khan’s helicopter ride came into the limelight on Tuesday amid political mud-slinging over Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar’s use of a private jet to travel with his family members to Islamabad. On Monday, Usman Buzdar had also used an official helicopter for a private tour to Mian Chunnu, according to Dawn News.
I think this is what #fawadchaudhry shb taking about.. 55/Km.. ???????
Don’t forget everything is possible in #NayaPakistan pic.twitter.com/mWx5C2wKLb— Imran suleman (@ImranKhan73471) August 28, 2018
Welcome To #NayaPakistan
Helicopter Service
Rs 55/Km
Company Owner : #FawadChaudhry https://t.co/gzmwPpvv5j— MKazim Kharmangi (@Kharmangi_399) August 28, 2018
Tweet of The Day#helicopter #Pakistan #FawadChaudhry pic.twitter.com/yuJ8YNQ0EC
— Saba sikander (@Sabasikander6) August 29, 2018
Justifying Imran Khan’s travel via helicopter, Fawad Chaudhry said four helicopters from previous regimes were already at PM House. Chaudhry not only said he used Google to come up with the Rs 50-55/km figure, but also asked journalists to check it for themselves using Google.
#FawadChaudhry is right that #helicopter is cheap. pic.twitter.com/g8XXBIKewa
— Mr. Shelby OBE (@alihamza_sheikh) August 28, 2018
Chaudhry added that the Prime Minister’s helicopter trip from the PM House to his Bani Gala residence was not part of “VIP culture.” Khan chose to travel by helicopter to avoid a traffic jam on the roads of Islamabad, which would have caused trouble for ordinary citizens. Chaudhry pointed out that the helicopter ride – which was only a few minutes long – was also a better choice from the security perspective. “There is a difference between VIP culture and security protocol.”
Rejecting Chaudhry’s Google calculations, Khurshid Shah of Pakistan People’s Party said Khan “uses a helicopter to travel from his residence in Bani Gala to the PM House, and he makes two trips every day. The total cost of it is Rs 300,000.” If helicopter rides are really as cheap as Chaudhry suggests, every middle-class person would want to use helicopters for the daily commute. But the actual cost is much higher.
Major (retd) Mohammad Zaheer, an aviation expert, told Geo TV that PM Imran Khan uses the AW-139 helicopter, which costs Rs 370,900 per hour to fly. This cost is reached after taking into consideration the entire process from starting up to switching off the helicopter.
Imran Khan’s austerity measures go into hyperdrive
The Imran Khan government has introduced a variety of austerity measures in the last few days. According to Fawad Chaudhry, these measures have helped cut the government’s costs by Rs 550 million. The number of people working at the PM House has been reduced from 530 to just 10. Khan has also decided not to use any special airplane for foreign visits. He will travel business class on commercial flights, instead.
The government has also banned the discretionary use of the first-class air travel and state funds by leaders and officials including the prime minister, president, and judges. Chaudhry claimed that former PM Nawaz Sharif had used Rs 51 billion of discretionary funds in a year. The government has also banned the ‘VIP culture’ at airports to provide equal opportunities to all travelers without any discrimination.
