PIA Privatization is Reportedly Being Influenced to Favor a Private Company

Efforts are being made to extend the bidding period for the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by a month, sources told ProPakistani. This extension is allegedly aimed at favoring a specific private company. Intervention from the Prime Minister’s Office has been reported in the matter of extending the bidding deadline. According to legal guidelines, extending the bid submission date could be viewed as a violation of the privatization process. Sources claim that the reason behind the extension is that the favored company does not yet meet the requirements for the necessary documents and bid money. Currently, six private company consortiums are participating in the bidding process. The final date to submit the advance payment for acquiring PIA is September 27. The consortiums bidding to acquire PIA include Airblue, Arif Habib, Fly Jinnah, Pak Ethanol, Blue World City, and YB Holdings.