ISLAMABAD, June 10: The government has arranged loans to import special planes worth $50 million for the president and prime minister, Senator Enver Baig told the Senate here on Friday.

This revelation was made by the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) senator during their budget speeches in the upper house.

Senator Baig said the government was importing two planes worth $25 million each for the president and prime minister. He said the planes would be purchased through a loan secured from a bank. The bank has approved the loan, the senator said.

He challenged the veracity of the budget documents on the basis of government’s past record of furnishing wrong information to the house.

He said in the case of Umra expenses of the three former prime ministers and travel expenses of former foreign secretary Riaz Khokhar, the Foreign Office had admitted that wrong figures were provided to the house.

“How do you expect me to believe the figures in the budget?” he asked.

Senator Baig placed a list of questions on the record of the house pertaining to concessions given to the plastic industry, NAB and other items which had not been explained in the budget documents.

He questioned the economic policies of the government and said more than 500 people had committed economic suicides. He said the prices of essential items of daily use had increased exorbitantly.

Senator Rukhsana Zuberi said oil prices had been increasing in the country since 1999, benefiting the refineries and oil marketing companies.

She said no investments had taken place to improve the quality of fuel. She demanded reduction in POL prices by 12-18 per cent.

Senator Zuberi said the sale of six A300B4s should be stopped as Pakistan would be paying $600 million extra by leasing the planes and selling its own aircraft.

She said the government needs to investigate the equity amounting to billions of rupees to PIA.