ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that bidding to auction the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will be held on December 23.
During a meeting at the PM House with all business owners and company representatives participating in the PIA privatisation process, the premier said that full transparency and merit would remain the government’s foremost priorities, announcing that the bidding process would be broadcast live on national television.
He said the airline’s lost reputation must be restored through a smooth and credible transition. He said the government was committed to aligning the national flag carrier with modern aviation standards, adding that the reform and divestment process was progressing in an efficient and structured manner.
“InshaAllah, the PIA will soon once again live up to its old slogan of ‘Great People to Fly With’,” he said, reiterating the government’s commitment to a corruption-free and professionally executed process. “Transparency in every step would be ensured. The entire bidding on December 23 will be aired live on all media channels so that the nation can witness the process firsthand,” he said.
Shehbaz said restoring PIA’s global routes would greatly benefit overseas Pakistanis by providing reliable connectivity. Modernising the airline, he added, was also critical for strengthening Pakistan’s tourism sector, which required a competitive and efficient national carrier.
The prime minister said he was hopeful that whichever bidder ultimately takes charge would dedicate its full energies to restoring the airline’s identity and securing its long-term growth.
The participants praised the government for adopting a transparent and professional mechanism for the privatisation exercise. The meeting was attended by all bidders participating in the PIA privatisation round, along with senior members of the federal cabinet and government advisers. Federal ministers Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Azam Nazeer Tarar and Sardar Owais Leghari, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani, Adviser to the PM Muhammad Ali, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar and senior officials were also present.
Separately, chairing a meeting to review recommendations of the sub-working group on Customs duty and other trade sector reforms, the prime minister said the government was taking priority measures to reduce the production cost of industrial goods for local industry, trade and population. He said that the National Tariff Policy approved by the government was a revolutionary step to boost domestic industrial production while making businesses competitive in local and international markets.
He said the policy was also introduced to align the country’s exports and imports with overall national economic growth. He said that identifying the sector-specific proposals and issues was inevitable to increase domestic industrial production and trade.
The prime minister said that for decades, the Export Development Fund was not utilised to promote research and training to enhance economic and industrial production capacity.
He emphasised that the recommendations and reform proposals in the export and import sectors put forward by experts must be based on realistic data and statistics. Shehbaz also directed strict monitoring of Customs duties collection on bilateral and transit trade goods with other countries on the border.
The working group viewed that sustainable export-led economic growth was only possible through increased investment and production capacity, government protection and improved infrastructure.
During the meeting, Muhammad Ali Tabba and other representatives of the business community, who are part of the sub-working group, briefed the prime minister on issues related to Customs and tax collection and presented their recommendations.
Shehbaz welcomed the recommendations and issued instructions to the ministries and institutions concerned to extend all possible facilities to the business community and investors.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Musadik Malik, Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Ahad Khan Cheema, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Azhar Bilal Kayani, Haroon Akhtar, Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) national coordinator, representatives of industry and business community and senior government officials.
Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Zhaparov arrived in Islamabad on Wednesday evening for a two-day visit, and as a special gesture, he was received by both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari at the airport. Zhaparov is here on an invitation extended to him by the prime minister. “The visit reflects the brotherly ties between Pakistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, rooted in shared history, faith and common aspirations for peace and prosperity in Central and South Asia. It is expected to impart fresh momentum to bilateral cooperation and reinforce collaboration at regional and multilateral forums,” said the Foreign Office as the Kyrgyz dignitary reached Islamabad.
The last presidential visit from the Kyrgyz Republic took place in January 2005.
The Kyrgyz president is accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising senior cabinet ministers, high-ranking officials and business leaders.
During the visit, President Zhaparov is expected to meet President Zardari followed by delegation-level talks with the prime minister and address the Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan Business Forum.
“The two sides will review the full spectrum of bilateral relations and explore new avenues to further deepen cooperation across diverse sectors, including trade, energy, defence, education, people-to-people exchanges and regional connectivity,” added the Foreign Office.
The two countries had earlier agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in cryptocurrency, blockchain technology and digital finance in August.
Of importance, say official sources, are efforts to take bilateral cooperation in the power sector to another level and this will see both sides signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in energy during the Kyrgyz president’s visit.
Pakistan is well prepared for this particular MoU as last month the cabinet had already approved a summary of Power Division titled “MoU between the Ministry of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Ministry of Energy of Pakistan in the field of energy sector”.
Also last week, different agreements to be signed with Kyrgyzstan during this presidential visit were taken up by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in a preparatory meeting.
Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan share diplomatic relations dating back to 1992, with strong ties in areas like trade, education and security, marked by recent agreements to increase bilateral trade volume up to $100 million. Both nations are members of international organisations like the UN and OIC, and have established institutions for cooperation, including a bilateral political consultation.
