Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari on Monday rejected former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s claim that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz planned to acquire Pakistan International Airlines and rebrand it “Air Punjab”.
The statement followed the failed last week’s attempt to sell the ailing national carrier as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government showed interest in buying PIA.
On November 2, Nawaz while talking to party supporters in New York claimed, “Maryam proposed that we should buy PIA and name it ‘Air Punjab’, transforming it into one of world’s best airlines.”
Speaking to reporters in Lahore today, Bokhari said: “The report that the Punjab government was going to buy PIA is totally untrue.” She said Nawaz was addressing a group of PML-N business persons in the US who mentioned that it was becoming challenging for them to return back to Pakistan as there are no direct flights.
“Their statements reflect the prevailing situation at PIA,” she added.
It should be noted that Pakistan is planning to privatize a 51-100% stake in the ailing PIA as part of a $7 billion IMF program to raise funds and restructure state-owned enterprises.
The government had previously set a target of selling the airline by June, but the sale was delayed till October.
It is worth mentioning that six groups had been prequalified to bid, but only real estate development company Blue World City participated in the bidding last week and offered Rs10 billion for a 60pc stake—way below the government’s minimum asking price of Rs85 billion.
