Senate body asks govt to halt privatisation of PIA

ISLAMBAD: The Senate Standing Committee on privatisation and Statistics Tuesday recommended to the government halting of the privatisation of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) as it was not the suitable time to give this national flag carrier in private hands.

The committee that met here with Senator Mohsin Aziz in the chair said, “It is the unanimous decision of the members of the committee that this is not appropriate time to sell this national airliner out.”

Mohsin Aziz said that the adviser to prime minister on aviation had assured to the Senate that privatisation of the PIA was not under consideration of the government, but later the federal cabinet decided to privatise it, which is as breach of privilege of the Parliament. Why the government is privatising it while it has 100 days remaining in the office?

Senator Ilyas Bilour said that losses of PIA are increasing and the airplanes are also not in good condition. Other senator said that the government should think for the betterment of the airliner and there should be transparency in it affairs.

Minister for Privatization Daniyal Aziz said that the government cannot afford Rs40 billion losses of PIA and there are chances of more increase in it.

He said that we are working on it under the Privatization Commission Act, and working on segregation of transport and non-transport business of PIA. We are going to fully protect the non-transport business. Besides, with direct consultation of Financial Advisor, we are also getting international market situation and we are going follow international standards of the privatization.

Senator Sheri Rehman said that PIA is being paralysed deliberately. On my calling attention notice in Senate, the government had said that PIA was not being privatised, but the next day the cabinet announced its privatisation. The Parliament has been detracted. Its privilege has been hurt. She further said that the government has made a wrong statement in the Senate by saying that they are not privatising it, but later announced its privatisation. We would bring a privilege motion in the Senate, she added.

After the meeting she told media that so far, the government’s aviation policy has not been put before the Parliament. They [government] have always made decision behind the closed doors and kept everything in veil. And now we see its result that the national airliner is almost paralysed and has been ‘cannibalised’. They are also keeping terms of privatisation secret.

One of our airplane has been disappeared [been sold in Germany], but still there enquiries and nothing positive coming out of it. PIA’s routes to Oman, Kuwait and five routes to the US have been closed. They have crippled it [PIA]. The Peoples’ Party will never ever allow them to privatise it, she said.