Govt to Invite Bids for PIA’s Privatization Once Again 

Privatization Min­ister Abdul Aleem Khan Monday informed the Senate Standing Committee on Privatization that the government will once again initiate the bidding process for the cash strapped Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).  The minister told the committee meeting that the prime minister is also focused on ensuring that PIA is privatized and added that it has the potential of becoming a profitable airline.  The minister also gave the example of Air India and said that it was privatized after give failed attempts. He also blamed the role of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in the privatization process and said that it did not agree on removing general sales tax (GST) on purchase of new planes.  Secretary Privatization also spoke on the occasion and said that the bidding process will be a lot shorter this time as most of the work has been completed during the previous bidding process.  Last week, media reports said that the federal government is reportedly working on a new plan for the privatization of the cash-strapped national flag carrier with the government looking to sell PIA to either Qatar or Abu Dhabi under a government-to-government agreement.