Transparency central to PIA privatisation: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the relevant authorities to ensure privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) within the given time frame.

Chairing a meeting to review the ongoing process of privatisation of PIA, the prime minister stressed that transparency must be central to the procedure for its privatisation.

The prime minister emphasised the importance of roadshows and fully engaging investors in the privatisation process, directed that in order to ensure transparency, the privatisation of PIA and all future state-owned enterprises must be broadcast live on television and digital platforms.

The meeting was told that a comprehensive investor outreach strategy had been developed in collaboration with the consultant and was being fully implemented.

The prime minister was also informed about the criteria of the bidding, required time period and the conditions to participate in the bidding process.

The meeting was attended by federal ministers Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, Advisers Muhammad Ali, Syed Tauqir Shah, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar, National Coordinator of the Special Investment Facilitation Council Lt Gen Sarfraz Ahmed, and other senior officials.

Meanwhile, the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting has been summoned on May 2 (Friday) to discuss the canals project, a day after the federal government put the contentious project on the back burner following weeks of protests in Sindh.

According to a notification issued on Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has convened the 52nd meeting of the CII at Prime Minister’s Office.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, and Federal Minister Amir Muqam would attend the session. The chief ministers of all four provinces have been invited to participate in the meeting.

Law Minister Azad Nazeer Tarar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Science and Health Minister Mustafa Kamal would also participate in the session.

Special invitations have been extended to the minister for petroleum, minister for water resources, and the minister for power division. The chief secretaries of all provinces have also received special invitations to attend.

A day earlier, PM Shehbaz addressed a joint press conference with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, saying that no new canal would be built without mutual understanding on the platform of CCI. PM Shehbaz and PPP chief Bilawal informed the media about the decisions made during the meeting. Led by Bilawal, the PPP delegation comprised Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, ex-premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, PPP Secretary General Humayoon Khan, PPP Secretary Information Nadeem Afzal Chan, Shazia Marri, Jam Khan Shoro and Jameel Ahmed Soomro.

The premier said the federal government was engaging all the provincial governments to chart out a long-term consensus roadmap for development of agriculture policy and water management infrastructure across Pakistan.

“We discussed the issue of canals with great seriousness, and he explained in his proposals that Pakistan is a federation and its requirements are that the issues among the provinces should be resolved with mutual sincerity and good intentions and in a good manner,” he added.

The federal government’s proposed project to construct six canals to irrigate Punjab’s Cholistan desert under the Green Pakistan Initiative, launched in February, created rifts between the PMLN and its ruling partner, which has a government in Sindh.