Government under fire in Senate over PIA privatisation

ISLAMABAD: The government came under fire in the Senate Tuesday for its alleged bid to replace PIA with other airlines by providing them space gradually and then privatising the national airline.

The opposition asked tough questions about the fate of the PIA-owned Roosevelt Hotel in New York. Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan informed the House through a written reply that Roosevelt Hotel was not being sold.

“However, the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation, in its meeting held on Nov 15, 2019 … considered the proposal submitted by the Ministry of Privatisation regarding leasing of the Roosevelt site for setting up a joint venture project. The same is under process in the ministry,” he added.

Speaking in response to the reply by the minister about privatisation of the Hotel, PPP Senator Raza Rabbani alleged that the government wanted to bring the national airline into a position where other airlines could be given a space to operate by replacing it. “Is this a conspiracy against the PIA and the government wanted to make the airline redundant to fulfil its dream of privatising it,” he asserted.

Referring to the two recent incidents, Rabbani said the government claimed that order of a court about attaching the Roosevelt Hotel in Reko Diq case was an ex parte order. He wondered that how this could be an ex-parte order when the federal government was in the knowledge when the hotel was being mortgaged for in the case of Reko Diq.

“When the decision had come against the government, how it is an ex parte order. Was the government sleeping or if this is being done in connivance to sell the hotel at the throwaway price,” he wondered. He added that the government also claimed that the seizure of the PIA aircraft by Malaysian authorities was also done on an ex parte order of the court. “Then, why the CEO (chief executive officer) of the PIA has not be called into question that why you made airborne a vulnerable plane,” he added.

Continuing his onslaught, Rabbani said that Roosevelt Hotel came under the Federal Legislative List, Part-II, which was being controlled by the Council of Common Interests (CCI): the matter of its privatisation could only be raised before the CCI. He added that any step of the government without approval of the Council, would be unconstitutional. He made it clear that Cabinet Committee on Privatisation was not authorised to privatise all those entities that come under the Federal Legislative List, Part- II, noting privatisation of the PIA and Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) were also affected due to the same reason.

He raised objection over the earlier remarks made by the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan that the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) serves as a watchdog on the parliament. “No watchdog can sit over parliament as it is a supreme body,” he said and added that the remarks were incorrect under the Constitution.

Then, he referred to Article 230 (3) of the Constitution and said that parliament could even legislate on a matter that had been referred to the CII but the latter has not responded over it.

Winding up the call attention notice, the Minister of State informed the House that the government would complete appointment of chairman CII and its member on all vacant seats by the end of February, as the process was already under way.