The National Assembly’s Privatisation Committee has announced that the bidding process for the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is scheduled for October 1. This was revealed during a committee session chaired by MQM leader Farooq Sattar on Tuesday.
During the session, Farooq Sattar disclosed that six companies will be competing in the bidding process, marking PIA as the first state-owned enterprise to undergo privatisation under the current government’s framework.
“We will try to watch the bidding for PIA live,” Sattar stated, adding that arrangements could potentially be made in coordination with Privatisation Minister Aleem Khan to allow real-time viewing of the process.
Referring to the meeting as a “farewell” session for PIA, Sattar noted that the auction will be concluded on October 1. He also assured that the rights of PIA employees would be protected, emphasizing that their salaries and allowances would remain a priority post-privatisation.
The privatisation of PIA is seen as a major step by the government to tackle the longstanding financial and operational challenges faced by the national airline.
