LAHORE: In a ruling with significant implications for transparency in the use of public resources, the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) has directed the Cabinet Division to disclose comprehensive records relating to the use of prime minister’s helicopter by successive governments since 2017, ruling that the information cannot be withheld on grounds of national security or statutory exemptions claimed by the federal government.
The order was issued in Appeal No. 5193-12/2025 on a petition filed by citizen Saddia Mazhar, who had sought detailed information regarding helicopter operations undertaken during the tenures of former prime ministers Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Imran Khan, as well as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s previous and current administrations.
According to the commission’s order, the applicant had submitted an information request to the Cabinet Division on Dec 1, 2025, seeking data on the official use of the prime minister’s helicopter over multiple administrations. The request covered the period from Aug 1, 2017, to the present and sought details of helicopter trips undertaken by each prime minister, fuel expenditures incurred on those flights, maintenance costs of the aircraft and the number of personnel assigned to its operation and upkeep.
During proceedings before the commission, the Cabinet Division was represented by Arsalan Zohaib, Section Officer. In a written response submitted on Apr 15, 2026, the division argued that information concerning the use, maintenance and expenditure of the helicopter used by the prime minister was exempt from disclosure under Sections 7(c), 16(b)(v) and 16(f) of the Right of Access to Information Act. The public body maintained that the requested information fell within categories protected from disclosure under the law. Its response was subsequently shared with the applicant by the commission on Apr 21, 2026.
After examining the contents of the information request, the appeal, the written submissions of the Cabinet Division and the relevant provisions of law, the commission concluded that the exemptions invoked by the government were not applicable to the information being sought.
Allowing the appeal, the commission directed the secretary of the Cabinet Division to provide the requested information to both the applicant and the commission within 10 days of the order. It further ordered that a copy of the decision be forwarded to the secretary for immediate implementation.
The commission has fixed July 1, 2026, for implementation proceedings to review compliance with its directives and determine whether the requested records have been furnished. The order was jointly issued by Information Commissioner Ijaz Hassan Awan and Chief Information Commissioner Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui.
