ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has saidthat every possible effort should be made for the timely completion of privatization programme, which has been facing delays because of unfavorable situations.
“Inter-ministerial coordination will further be improved for a robust privatization programme,” he said while presiding over a meeting held to review the development regarding privatization of different government and private properties.
“This year, the privatization programme for the seven entities and 27 properties of government lands will be completed,” the secretary said. He told the premier that the seven transactions will be completed by May and June.
“There are advices to take out the lease on Roosevelt Hotel governed by the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). The hotel will be leased for a long time and the income generated through the process will be spent on the development of the PIA. Over the years, the hotel has not been able to generate much revenue,” Minister for Privatization Mohammad Mian Soomro said during the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Privatization.
The meeting, which met under the chairmanship of Syed Mustafa Mahmud, was told that there is also a suggestion for running the said entity on public-private partnership basis.
The PIA official said the Roosevelt Hotel is the property of the PIA and the authorities concerned are currently in New York, US that has been informed to the committee’s secretary.
“The government has 96 per cent shares in the PIA, why it is being made a secret company,” said Mahmud. The official said: “The PIA Limited Company is not yet under the privatization list.” The Chairman lamented over the lack of strategy from the government.
