Former caretaker federal minister Gohar Ejaz on Thursday welcomed the successful bid for the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), expressing hope that the move would help restore the national flag carrier’s prestige and put it back on the path to progress.
Reacting to the development, Gohar Ejaz said the country must revive the identity and strength of its national institutions in order to move forward economically and regain public confidence.
According to the 24NewHD TV channel, he pointed out that Pakistani investment in Dubai’s real estate sector had crossed $100 billion, regretting that such a massive amount should instead have been invested within Pakistan to spur domestic growth.
Former Minister Gohar Ejaz urged overseas and local investors to bring their capital back home, saying that a prosperous Pakistan would secure a better future for the younger generation.
He said the consortium that submitted the winning bid for PIA had invested with the same vision and commitment to rebuild the airline and transform it into a dignified and respected institution once again.
Earlier, ahead of the privatisation bid, Ejaz had said in a post on the social media platform X on December 23 that the Privatisation Commission had made significant efforts to attract the best business groups to bid for a 75 percent ownership stake along with management control of PIA.
He noted that the national carrier had incurred losses of around Rs800 billion over the past two decades and had continued to suffer because of persistent financial constraints.
Emphasising his commitment to the country, he said that as a patriotic Pakistani, he was prepared to make available all his personal and financial resources in the best interest of the nation.
Expressing optimism about the national airline’s future, Gohar Ejaz said he believed that PIA would once again soar high and that the nation would soon feel proud of its flag carrier.
