As promised, Imran Khan govt sells 70 luxury cars including Mercedes, BMW
ISLAMABAD SEP 17 :The cash-strapped Pakistan government on Monday sold 70 cars “above their market price” as it started the process of auctioning of 102 luxury vehicles of the PM House under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s austerity drive, a media report said.
Apart from luxury cars, the government, facing huge debts and liabilities, plans to auction eight buffaloes kept by deposed and jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at the PM House for his “gastronomic requirements”, a senior aide to Khan said last week.
It will also sell the four surplus helicopters lying unused with the Cabinet Division, Naeem-ul-Haq, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant for Political Affairs, said.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, information minister Fawad Chaudhry said the first batch of 70 vehicles have been sold.
“These cars were sold above their market price,” Chaudhry claimed.
He added that vehicles which are classified as protected (bomb and bullet-proof) would be sold next.
The cars that are being auctioned include four recent models of Mercedes Benz, eight bullet-proof BMWs, three 5000cc SUVs and two 3000cc SUVs of 2016 model.
Twenty-four 24 Mercedes Benz of 2016 model are also being auctioned. Two of the 28 cars are 4,000cc bullet-proof vehicles, the report said.
Further, 40 Toyota cars, a Lexus SUV, and two Land Cruisers are also up for auction.
Other vehicles that are being auctioned include eight Suzuki cars, five Mitsubishi vehicles, nine Hondas and two jeeps.
The cars will be sold to those who have the highest bid, the report said.
In his first address to the nation, Prime Minister Khan had emphasised on cutting government expenditure. As part of the cost-cutting initiative, he had announced the auction of surplus PM House vehicles.
Pakistan’s debt and liabilities rose sharply to nearly Rs 30 trillion or 87% of total size of the economy at the end of previous fiscal year, according to media reports.
Statistics released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) last month showed that in the last five years, Pakistan’s total debt and liabilities increased Rs 13.5 trillion or 82.8% to stand at Rs 29.9 trillion. Five years ago, Pakistan’s total debt and liabilities were Rs 16.4 trillion, the Express Tribune reported.
Courtesy : hindustantimes.com
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Air India Express introduces late-night Bengaluru–Mangaluru service
International services at M’luru cancelled on March 7
Mangaluru: Air India Express will introduce a late-night daily flight service on the Bengaluru–Mangaluru–Bengaluru sector starting March 10, 2026.
According to the sources, flight IX 5971 will depart from Bengaluru at 9.25 pm and arrive in Mangaluru at 10.40 pm. The return flight, IX 5972, will depart from Mangaluru at 11.10 pm and reach Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, at 12.20 am.
The additional service will operate daily and will remain in effect until March 28, 2026.
Meanwhile, Air India Express has cancelled all its scheduled international flights from Mangaluru International Airport (IXE) on March 7 due to the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
The Bengaluru–Mangaluru sector already has multiple daily services. Apart from Air India Express, IndiGo also operates flights on this route.
