ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Privatization Abdul Aleem Khan told the Senate Standing Committee on Privatization on Monday that the government will once again start the bidding process for Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
The minister told the committee meeting that the prime minister is also focusing on ensuring the privatization of PIA and added that it has the potential to become a profitable airline.
The minister also gave the example of Air India and said that it was privatized after failed attempts. He also blamed the role of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in the privatization process and said that it did not agree to remove the General Sales Tax (GST) on the purchase of new aircraft.
The Privatization Secretary also spoke on the occasion and said that this time the bidding process will be very short as most of the work has been completed during the previous bidding process.
Last week, media reports said that the federal government was reportedly working on a new plan to privatize the cash-strapped national flag carrier and that the government was looking to sell PIA to Qatar or Abu Dhabi under a government-to-government agreement.
