LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has criticised Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for allegedly purchasing a costly and luxurious aircraft for her personal use at a time when the province is witnessing a sharp rise in child malnutrition, poverty, and social distress.

In a post on social media platform X, Mr Rehman referred to two news reports published on the same day -- one about the Punjab government purchasing a new aircraft costing around Rs10 billion, and the other highlighting an alarming increase in malnutrition among children and women across the province.

“These two reports belong to the same day and the same province. On one hand, Punjab is facing a frightening surge in malnutrition among children and women, while on the other, a luxury aircraft worth Rs10 billion has been bought for the chief minister,” he said.

He also criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for selling Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) at a throwaway price, adding while the prime minister celebrated the move, his niece, the chief minister, went ahead and purchased a luxury aircraft for ‘elite’ travel.

He said that over 10 million children in Punjab were out of school, while the provincial government had imposed a cut on pensions of government employees and had been privatising thousands of public schools and basic health units.

“Yet, there is no reduction in the privileges and extravagant lifestyle of the ruling elite,” he remarked.

He further stated that national poverty had increased from 21.9 per cent to 28.8 per cent over the past six years, reflecting a net rise of over 31 per cent, while the country’s debt had soared to unprecedented levels.

“This is the performance report of the ruling alliance,” he said.

Published in Dawn, February 21st, 2026