A Pakistani-Canadian national, Khalid Malik, expressed willingness to gift Prime Minister Imran Khan a helicopter after he came under fire from all quarters for using official aircraft from PM Office to his Banigala–a distance of mere 15 kilometres.
Malik decided to make this offer to the premier because of the “undesirable criticism” against the PM that “embarrassed him and other overseas Pakistanis”.
“After having seen the undesirable criticism against Imran Khan for using a helicopter, I hereby announce a gift of a helicopter including fuel grant for Imran Khan’s use provided that the media and all political parties stop cribbing about his air travels,” said Malik in a message being circulated on WhatsApp.
“If my proposal is agreed upon by all the concerned persons, then the principal secretary of the PM may contact me on my mobile number,” he wrote, requesting reshares of his message so it could reach the PM.
Pakistan Today has reached out to Khalid Malik for comment and will update this story accordingly.
PM Khan was severely criticised by the public as well as, opposition parties for using a helicopter to commute from home to work. As the matter had gained momentum, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry defended the PM’s use of the chopper, claiming it cost “Rs55 per kilometre” only.
However, multiple helicopter and aviation experts told Pakistan Today, the said figure is nowhere near the actual cost that the helicopter incurs.
“Although average cruise fuel consumption is about 5-6 litres per Nautical Mile (NM), it uses a minimum of 40 litres to achieve cruise altitude of 12,000 feet and approximately 50 litres to reach 15,000 feet which would be recommended safe height for security purposes,” an aviation expert had explained to Pakistan Today.
“The average cost per NM would be in the range of over $250-350 per minute taking into account the total cost incurred.” This would mean that a three-minute copter ride could cost up to Rs12,000. In comparison, at Fawad Chaudhry’s claimed rate of Rs 50-55 per kilometer, a to and fro ride would cost only around Rs 2,000.
