Pakistan grapples with Imran Khan's lavish helicopter ride that cost ₹1 billion: Report

 

• Grand helicopter ride of Pakistan's Imran Khan: Reportedly, VVIP helicopter ride on instructions from Prime Minister's Office from 2019 to 2021

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has come under scrutiny for his helicopter rides. The report comes at a time when the country is facing a major economic crisis, with rupee depreciating, inflation rising.

According to a report in The Nation, the national expenditure on Imran Khan's helicopter ride comes to ₹1 billion. The details of the expenditure were presented in the Pakistani Senate.

As per the report, the VVIP helicopter ride was done from 2019 to 2021 on the instructions of the Prime Minister's Office.

The federal government in its written reply informed the Senate that as per details provided by the Cabinet Division, an amount of ₹946.3 million was spent on VVIP helicopter missions by the 6 Aviation Squadron under the directions of the PM's Office from 2019 to 2021 when Imran Khan was the Prime Minister of the country.

Pakistan's economy 'collapsed'

Pakistan is trapped in an endless cycle of repaying external debt. IMF delegation will reach the country today to take stock of the situation. The world's fifth-largest population has less than $3.7 billion in state banks - just enough to cover three weeks' worth of imports.

It is no longer issuing letters of credit, except for essential food and medicines, leading to a backlog of thousands of shipping containers at the Karachi port, filled with stocks the country can no longer afford.

Last week, the entire country was plunged into a one-day blackout following a cost-cutting measure caused by a fault in the national grid.

The faltering economy reflects the country's political chaos, with former Prime Minister Imran Khan increasing pressure on the ruling coalition to hold early elections.