PPP stages walkout over ministers absence

Expresses concerns over outcomes of PIA's privatisation

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In an interesting development, the PPP—which has been propping up the PML-N led coalition government without becoming a part of it — staged a walkout from the National Assembly in protest against absence of government ministers from house proceedings.

When the NA session resumed on Thursday only the federal minister for law, Azam Nazeer Tarar, was present in the lower house presided over by Deputy Speaker Ghulam Mustafa.

Taking the floor, PPP's Naveed Qamar raised concerns about the ongoing discussions on privatizing the national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) again.

He inquired about the timeframe for the privatization process. Qamar also questioned whether steps had been taken to improve the process.

Tarar assured the house of a more favorable outcome this time, emphasizing that PIA would remain a state-owned enterprise, with the government retaining a majority of the shares.

In October, the final bidding process for the privatisation of PIA attracted just one bid of Rs10 billion for its 60% stake. The government had pre-qualified six groups in June, but only real-estate development company Blue World City participated in the bidding process, placing a bid that was below the government-set minimum price of Rs85 billion.

Pakistan was looking to offload a 51-100% stake in debt-ridden PIA to raise funds and reform state-owned enterprises as envisaged under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

The Privatisation Commission said it had asked the bidder to match the minimum bid. Blue World City Chairman Saad Nazir, however, stood by its bid. "We wish the government all the best if they don't want to accept our bid," he said during a ceremony.

During the Thursday sitting, Parliamentary Secretary for Privatization MNA Aasia Ishaque provided a detailed update on PIA's fleet and workforce. Out of PIA's 34 aircraft, only 17 are operational, with 12 unusable, she said.

She said that PIA employs 7,300 staff members, with an annual payroll of Rs35 billion.

She defended the privatization process, stating that it is unfair to blame the Privatization Commission and the ministry for past failures.

Nabeel Gabol of the PPP said there is confusion regarding the airline's CEO, as the position is currently held by an acting official. Tarar clarified that the tenure of the previous CEO had ended.

PPP's Abdul Qadir Patel warned that PIA's privatization could lead to exorbitant ticket prices, predicting Karachi-Lahore and Karachi-Islamabad fares could rise to PKR 300,000.

Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, who also belongs to the PPP, criticized the earlier bidding process, calling it unprofessional, and urged for professional roadshows to attract better investors.

Meanwhile, Ramesh Lal and other members protested over the lack of development funds, holding placards in front of the speaker's dais. The PPP later staged a walkout in protest against the absence of ministers from the house. The assembly session was subsequently adjourned indefinitely.