Pakistan: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari forms committee to engage with govt on privatisation

Islamabad [Pakistan], May 7 : Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has formed a committee to talk with the federal government over privatisation issues, ARY News reported.

As per a notification issued by the chairman's secretariat, the committee comprises Sherry Rehman, Syed Naveed Qamar, and Saleem Mandviwalla.

Recent reports indicate that ten companies have expressed interest in acquiring majority stakes in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), a development that surfaced last week, as per ARY News.

According to sources cited by ARY News, ten companies, including three domestic aviation firms, have submitted tender applications.

Among the interested parties are Fly Jinnah, AirSial, Arif Habib Group, Shujaat Azeem Group's consortium, Tabba, Tariq Group, and Sehgal Group, all expressing intent to acquire a significant portion of PIA shares.

The deadline for PIA privatisation, initially set for May 3, has been extended to May 18, affording these companies additional time to refine their proposals.

According to ARY News, the Federal Minister for Privatisation, Abdul Aleem Khan, asserted in his statement that there will be no further extension beyond this deadline for the submission of declarations of interest for national flag carriers.

The Privatisation Commission and the PIA administration also conducted various roadshows but failed to achieve much success, sources said.

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