Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Saturday said the provincial government had approved the launch of its own airline named Air Punjab and that it would begin its operations within a year.
The Punjab government had floated the idea of Air Punjab in November 2024 after the federal government’s failed attempt to sell the national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Bokhari said: “Pakistan is ready to operate its first provincial airline, Air Punjab.
“The approval for it was given by [Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz] sahiba in a meeting a few days ago,” she added.
“This service would begin in a minimum of eight months and at the most, a year.”
She shared that Air Punjab would initially lease four aircraft for domestic operations, with plans to expand internationally within a year by acquiring an international air license.
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Noting that airlines in Pakistan were required to operate domestically for a year before initiating international routes, Bokhari said Air Punjab would be “ready to provide its services in a few months”.
The Punjab chief minister has ordered the completion of the formalities of licensing and leasing, according to Bokhari.
“No one had even thought of launching their own provincial airline,” she added.
Alongside the airline, Bokhari announced a high-speed bullet train project that would drastically cut travel time between Lahore and Rawalpindi to just 2 hours and 20 minutes. Plans are also underway to extend bullet train services to other parts of the province. A glass train linking Rawalpindi and Murree is also in the pipeline, promising to boost tourism.
“This is the first time in Pakistan’s history that a provincial government is launching both an airline and a bullet train network,” Bokhari said with pride.
Strong Words for India
Turning to regional tensions, Bokhari took a solid stance against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of using “Israeli tactics” in Kashmir to suppress Muslims and minorities. She referenced a recent incident in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, dismissing Indian allegations against Pakistan as a “pre-planned narrative” intended for destabilization.
Bokhari kept on warning that Modi was highly involved in turning Kashmir into “another Gaza,” and criticized India’s silence over terror attacks in Pakistan, such as the Jaffar Express incident.
Regarding India’s threats to tamper with the Indus Waters Treaty, Bokhari delivered a strong message:
“The Indus Waters Treaty is not a tea stall for Modi to dismantle. Pakistan will respond to the first brick of any dam with stone.”
She called Modi a “global terrorist”, blaming him for rising instability worldwide.