Prime Minister Imran Khan's political opponents have been quick to capitalise on news that the Pakistani leader takes a 15-seat helicopter from his home to his office, questioning how it sits with his pledges to end VIP culture and usher in a more accountable, austere new era.
His promised austerity drive to cut government waste has provoked a row over the cost of his daily helicopter commute and allegations newly-appointed officials are using private jets to transport their families.
A government attempt to diffuse the row ended in widespread online mockery when a minister claimed Mr Khan's daily trips cost little more than a taxi ride.
Fawad Chaudhry, the information minister, insisted the daily flights to the office cost 55 rupees (1.6 AED) per kilometre and then defended the cost estimate saying he had “seen this on Google”.
“I am thinking of disposing family’s old Corolla and getting a cheaper, more reliable form of transport, said Miftah Islmail, a former federal finance minister. “Can’t decide if I should get a Suzuki or a helicopter.”
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Read more:
Imran 'chose the wrong woman to mess with': Ex-wife Reham Khan on her tell-all memoir
Pakistan's Khan says austerity begins at home
Imran Khan completes transition to take office as leader of Pakistan
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A cartoon in Dawn, the oldest English language daily in the country, suggested Mr Khan's cut price helicopters could put taxi drivers out of business.
Other commentators said security concerns justified Mr Khan travelling by helicopter, but he had made himself a hostage to his own gesture politics. The country is still tackling terrorist insurgent groups including the Pakistani Taliban and a local branch of ISIS.
Mr Khan has previously criticised the cost of convoys of dozens of vehicles that transported members of the prior government under Nawaz Sharif. He has already said he will forego the lavish Prime Minister's house and instead use a three bedroom house with only two servants. In his inauguration he symbolically chose to wear an old sherwani coat, rather than have a new one made.
The transport row has been deepened by the emergence of photographs of Punjab's chief minister, Usman Buzdar, travelling with his family by private jet.
Mr Khan has been using one of the government's seven Agusta Westland AW139 helicopters for the 15km daily commute from his home in Bani Gala.
Military sources quoted by the BBC said the true flying cost was closer to Dh250 per kilometre, though with staff and security costs that would be far higher.
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
Kandahar
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Stars: Gerard Butler, Navid Negahban, Ali Fazal
Rating: 2.5/5
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
