LAHORE (MNN); Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced on Sunday that the provincial government has decided to initiate legal action against individuals and platforms involved in what she described as a malicious campaign regarding the use of an official government jet.
The controversy began last month when Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz faced strong criticism from opposition parties and several journalists after the provincial government purchased a luxury aircraft.
The 19-seater Gulfstream jet is estimated to cost between 38 million and 42 million dollars, equivalent to more than 10 billion Pakistani rupees. According to officials, the aircraft was acquired for the chief minister’s official travel.
Recently, social media users circulated claims suggesting that Maryam Nawaz’s son Junaid Safdar used the government jet to travel to Europe for his honeymoon.
Responding to the claims, Marriyum Aurangzeb said in a message on the social media platform X that a deliberate campaign based on lies and fabricated stories was being run about the use of the Punjab government’s aircraft.
She alleged that the campaign was being driven by individuals known for spreading misinformation and fake news.
Aurangzeb said the provincial government had decided to take legal action against every person and platform involved under the Defamation Law 2024.
“Disinformation will no longer go unanswered,” she said, warning that those attempting to damage the reputation of institutions or mislead the public would face legal consequences.
She added that the government would seek the maximum penalties available under the law in order to send a clear message.
According to Aurangzeb, spreading fake news cannot be considered journalism and instead amounts to defamation.
Earlier reports suggested that the registration number of the aircraft purchased by the Punjab government was N144S. Flight tracking data indicated that the plane travelled from Vienna and landed in Lahore at approximately 9:30pm.
However, the Sharif family later rejected reports that Junaid Safdar had travelled to Vienna on the jet.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the family clarified that Junaid Safdar was at his residence in Raiwind along with his wife and had not travelled abroad.
The spokesperson added that Junaid Safdar reserved the right to take legal action against individuals spreading false and fabricated information.
Previously, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari stated that the aircraft had travelled to Vienna only for a scheduled technical inspection.
She said that such inspections were a contractual requirement and part of routine maintenance, adding that speculation about the aircraft’s use was baseless and unfortunate.
Bokhari also claimed that earlier false propaganda had been spread regarding Maryam Nawaz’s foreign travel and that now fabricated stories were being circulated about her family.
She remarked that politics based on lies and propaganda could not survive for long because the truth ultimately emerges.
Aurangzeb had previously accused activists linked to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and others of running a vilification campaign against the chief minister over the government’s decision to acquire the aircraft.
The opposition has strongly criticised the purchase, arguing that spending billions on a VIP aircraft is unjustifiable when a large portion of Pakistan’s population lives below the poverty line.
Similarly, the head of Jamaat-e-Islami, Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman, also criticised the move, saying that while the prime minister celebrated the sale of the national airline Pakistan International Airlines, his niece, the Punjab chief minister, had purchased a luxury jet for elite travel.
The Punjab government initially remained silent about the aircraft’s purchase but later stated that it was linked to a proposed provincial airline project.
When questions were raised about the lack of a detailed plan for the airline, officials said the previous aircraft used by the chief minister had become outdated and needed to be replaced with a safer new jet.
