Maryam Nawaz’s Japan trip sparks backlash over PAF jet, lavish spending

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s Japan trip aboard a Pakistan Air Force jet sparks criticism over lavish spending, unequal treatment of other CMs, and questions on taxpayer-funded extravagance versus actual investment returns.

LAHORE — Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s recent trip to Japan has drawn sharp criticism at home and abroad, with many questioning whether it was necessary — and why taxpayers had to foot the bill.

The seven-day official visit, carried out on a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) special jet, was touted by the Punjab government as a step toward urban renewal, infrastructure partnerships, and environmental cooperation. But critics say the trip was more spectacle than substance, and that such high-cost tours should be the prerogative of the prime minister, not a provincial chief minister.

Unlike her counterparts in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, or Balochistan, Maryam has repeatedly used the PAF’s special aircraft for foreign tours — a privilege analysts note is linked to her family’s grip on federal power. “No other chief minister has this access,” political commentator Salman Ghani told the BBC. “Her uncle heads the federal government, and the foreign minister is a close relative. This is not a luxury other provinces enjoy.”

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The controversy deepened when reports surfaced that the Japanese side, including a senior minister, was reportedly displeased with the oversized delegation and the extravagance of the trip. According to diplomatic observers, the optics of arriving on a military aircraft with a large entourage clashed with the government’s pleas for foreign investment and aid. “It sends the wrong signal when a province that is cash-strapped projects such extravagance abroad,” said journalist Asma Shirazi.

Adding to the backlash was the government’s extensive media campaign. Instead of issuing routine press releases, the Punjab administration purchased prime-time ads and full-page newspaper spreads showcasing Maryam’s daily activities — a move critics branded as taxpayer-funded self-promotion.

The Punjab information minister defended the expenses, insisting that “major investments and modern technology partnerships cannot be secured without such efforts.” But for many Pakistanis struggling with inflation and a stagnant economy, the message was tone-deaf.

The episode has reignited the debate over whether provincial leaders should be making such high-profile foreign trips at all — and whether Maryam’s frequent use of state jets is an unfair privilege at a time when other chief ministers, facing similar challenges, travel commercially or not at all.

Ultimately, while the government promises that the Japan tour will yield investment in waste management, transport, and urban planning, critics argue that the political cost may already outweigh the benefits.