ISLAMABAD – Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar met with Adviser on Aviation, Air Marshal Retired Farhat Hussain on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the premier directed the adviser to accelerate the process of privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and outsourcing of airports’ operations.
Talking to the Adviser on Aviation, the premier said transparency should be a priority in the whole process of privatization of PIA and outsourcing of airports.
At the meeting, the adviser provided a comprehensive overview to the prime minister regarding his ministry’s operations and the reforms initiated within the aviation sector.
On the occasion, the prime minister said one of the top priorities of the government is to protect the national kitty from the losses inflicted by state-owned entities, adding that there is an immense potential for investment in the country’s aviation sector.
Pakistan’s national carrier – which was once seen by international carriers as a success story – is virtually operating with half of its fleet.
The carrier has to clear dues worth billions to different state institutions and the pending liabilities have forced the carrier to ground around a dozen planes. PIA’s challenges worsened in the last few months as the airline was not able to get the aircraft repaired.
There have been demands for privatizing the national carrier due to its economic nonviability. Former Aviation Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique also stressed the importance of privatizing the carrier or else it would have to shut operations.
In the final days of the PDM regime, it was also decided to privatize loss-making Pakistan International Airlines during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Privatization chaired by then Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
The caretaker regime has also expedited the process already and a consultant in this regard has been hired. Caretaker Federal Minister for Privatisation, Fawad Hassan Fawad has also announced that the airline would be privatized as it has become a loss-making entity though there seem to be multiple hurdles to achieve the goal including whether the caretaker regime is competent to privatise state assets or not.
