Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday shot back at criticism over her use of an official aircraft to attend a family event in London, claiming that a chief minister’s trips “are never personal” and insisting she had borne all trip-related expenses.

CM Maryam came under scrutiny when it emerged that she used the provincial government jet to make a private visit to London, with opposition leaders questioning the use of an official aircraft for a family event.

However, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has denied the allegation, also insisting that the trip was paid for “out of her own pocket”.

Addressing a ceremony in Multan, the chief minister addressed the issue, noting criticism “directed at Maryam Nawaz’s plane”.

“It is not Maryam Nawaz’s plane; it is the chief minister’s plane. Maryam Nawaz is not going to take it to Raiwind [..] all four chief ministers have this facility,” she said.

She said she had served Punjab for two-and-a-half years. “I wake up, I go to work and come back in the evening [..] sometimes, I am working till so late that I fall asleep with my iPad or phone in my hand”.

The chief minister said that if she promised people a project, “Maryam always delivers double of that,” referring to herself in the third person.

“If she has committed 1,000 buses, she will give 5,000 [..] but sometimes for these projects, sometimes I have to go places — by cars or by plane [..] was I not on the rescue boats when catastrophic floods hit Punjab in 2025,” she said.

Noting that the chief ministers of all four provinces availed the facility, she said, “It is available to everyone, but the criticism is directed only at Maryam Nawaz”.

“Today, as I was coming here, I thought since there has been so much criticism, perhaps I should go by Qingqi or motorcycle, or if there is a metro bus I can take till here from Lahore,” she quipped.

She then cautioned the audience to be wary that “the criticism is not aimed at me, [but] rather [at] Punjab’s development and growth. It is directed at the mirror we hold to them [other provinces] every day.”

CM Maryam said that for the past two and a half years, she had been eager to see other provinces say they were doing better than Punjab.

She further held that the “Rs9 billion jet” was not hers, but rather belonged to the office of the chief minister.

“Tomorrow, if I go to Sargodha and have to go to Rawalpindi [..] How will I get around?” she questioned, stressing that the “most precious resource for a CM is their time”.

She said that she was heavily criticised solely “because I am doing the work and have left the others in a position where they have to save face”.

CM Maryam said her government had invested “Rs300bn in the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar initiative, Rs200bn in Green Buses [..] we are building the world’s biggest cancer hospital”.

“What have you done?” the chief minister asked.

Taking note of the scrutiny around her daughter’s graduation ceremony, she insisted that she had borne the expenses, with the total bill amounting to Rs27.5 million.

“A chief minister or prime minister is never on leave, and none of their visits is personal. I am working while I am on the plane. I work wherever I am,” CM Maryam claimed.

She further contended that, given the nature of her role, she could not afford to lose contact with her government at any time.

“If I lose contact with my government on an eight-hour flight and if there is an issue, who is going to handle it?” she asked.

Addressing the gathering, CM Maryam held up a “receipt” of the expenses on her phone.

CM Maryam said she did not owe “these vloggers and YouTubers a justification”; however, she maintained, “I would still present an explanation in the court of the public.”

She said that when her tenure ends, “I will not be taking this plane home with me”; however, the chief minister maintained that her trips to Brazil, Japan, China or Türkiye were undertaken “so I could showcase my government’s progress.”

“So, yes, I hope that I get to go again on the plane,” she said.

CM Maryam recalled that the day she was set to return to Pakistan, several commercial flights were cancelled due to an issue with the United Kingdom’s air traffic control system.

“People travelling by commercial flights had to extend their stay by five to six days, and if I did not have the plane, I would have been stuck and lost five to six days. That is not just five to six days for Maryam Nawaz but five to six projects for the people of Punjab,” she said.

“I don’t have time to waste,” CM Maryam said, claiming that she often worked till midnight.

“I then wake up at 8am and come back to work. Every waking moment, my office is with me, whether I am in Murree or London.”

In response to the criticism, she further said, “Kids, keep at it; may God give you more success in your business. I don’t owe you an answer; I am answerable only to the people.”

The chief minister also took a jibe at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi over his recent visit to Lahore, without naming him.

“As you saw, some people from KP came to Punjab; he was sitting on the roadside, but no one barely recognised the individual,” CM Maryam remarked.

She noted that the visit was “so unsuccessful” that she had to “scold” her deputy commissioners “for not being able to scrounge up at least 400-500 people for a welcome, but even they could not find anyone willing to come”.

CM Maryam said that the “individual from KP” was making statements questioning the government’s legitimacy. However, he failed to get people’s attention, she added.

“Instead, he sat in a police vehicle forcibly and attempted to stage an abduction. He thought perhaps the act would create some drama,” in reference to the KP CM’s claim that he was “abducted” by authorities in Lahore and later “thrown” by the roadside. Punjab government has denied the allegation.