The Punjab government will file a lawsuit about allegations of “official planes.”

Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced on Sunday that the Punjab administration has chosen to take legal action against people and websites disseminating what it called false allegations about the use of the provincial government’s official aircraft.

The minister claimed on X that “known pathological liars and peddlers of fake news” were engaged in a “deliberate and malicious campaign of lies and fabricated stories” on the use of the official jet of the Punjab government.

According to her, the province government has made the decision to file a lawsuit under the Defamation Law of 2024 against each person and platform responsible for disseminating the purported false material.Misinformation will no longer be ignored. “Those who believe they can defame organizations and deceive the public without repercussions should get ready to face the law,” she stated.

She added that in order to make it very evident that “fake news is not journalism but defamation,” the Punjab government would pursue the harshest punishment allowed by the law.

Her comments were made in the midst of a political spat over the Punjab government’s alleged Rs. 10 billion purchase of a Gulfstream business jet.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has criticized the purchase, claiming that the plane was only meant for Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s personal usage.

Azma Bokhari, the Punjab Information Minister, had earlier denied the allegations, stating that the province government intended to build a fleet as part of the “Air Punjab” strategy.

Bokhari stated that the Gulfstream jet would be a part of a larger scheme in which some aircraft would be bought and others leased.

According to aviation sources, the Punjab government paid an estimated Rs. 10 billion for a Gulfstream G500 aircraft with the American registration number N144S, according to The News.

According to flight tracking data, the seven-year-old aircraft flew from Bangor, North America, to Hurghada, Egypt, and then landed at Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore on December 28.

According to accounts, the aircraft received interior décor and restoration while it was parked at the Lahore airport for almost forty days.

The aircraft made its first domestic trip from Lahore to Multan on February 6. Since then, it has flown to Quetta, Mianwali, Sialkot, and Rawalpindi under the call sign “PUNJAB2.”