ISLAMABAD: Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar Thursday said the Pakistan government is confident of better bids for the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) privatisation in the second attempt.
As per details, the PIA privatisation issue was discussed in the National Assembly. Former commerce minister Naveed Qamar raised concerns about the privatisation efforts, recalling a previous unsuccessful attempt during today’s NA session.
“What timeline has been set for this initiative?” he inquired, adding that the privatisation process needs to be carefully planned.
In response, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said that the government is hopeful for better bids this time as the restoration of our routes to Europe is a positive development.
“This time, we expect better bids and a more favorable outcome,” he said, assuring that lessons from past failures have been incorporated into the current plan.
Tarar said the term of PIA’s former CEO Aamir Hayat has ended, and he has been sent back to his parent department.
The minister pointed out that globally, only a few countries maintain state-run airlines, signaling that privatization might align better with international practices.
Earlier it was reported via sources that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has ‘agreed’ to Pakistan’s conditions for International Airlines (PIA) privatization.