Petition challenges PIA privatisation in Lahore High Court

Petition argues privatisation violates PIA law, lacks parliamentary approval

LAHORE:

A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court on Saturday challenging the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines, seeking to declare the process unlawful.

The petition, which names the federal government, PIA Corporation, and other relevant authorities as respondents, argues that the PIA law prohibits the sale of government-owned shares in the national airline.

Read: PIA to be run by Arif Habib-led consortium by April 2026

The petitioner claims that in 2023, the National Assembly rejected a bill concerning the sale of PIA shares. As a result, the federal cabinet lacked the authority to proceed with the privatisation, as parliamentary approval was necessary for such a decision.

The petition further contends that the Council of Common Interests (CCI)'s approval was mandatory for the sale, a step that was allegedly not followed.

According to the petition, PIA was sold to Nosuairb for a bid of Rs134 billion, with only 7.5% of the total amount to be received by the government. Of this, Rs4 billion was earmarked for the company that facilitated the bidding process.

The petitioner argues that the entire privatisation process goes against national interests and has called on the court to declare it null and void. The plea also seeks directions for restructuring PIA.

The Lahore High Court is expected to take up the case for further proceedings.