JI chief questions sale price of PIA

KARACHI (Dunya News) - Central Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has raised concerns over the recent privatisation of Pakistan’s national airline (PIA), questioning the price at which a strategic national asset was sold.

Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman pointed out that the airline earned a profit of Rs 10 billion, while the value of its smaller aircraft alone is estimated at a minimum of Rs 27 billion. He criticized the government for selling the airline for only Rs 10 billion, stating that the amount does not even match the value of the old aircraft.

Hafiz Naeemur Rehman further stated that even if a bid of Rs 335 billion had been placed, the airline should not have been sold. He argued that if government institutions are unable to operate such strategic entities, then claims of good governance are questionable.

He highlighted that the national airline possesses 78 landing rights, making it a significant strategic and economic asset for Pakistan. “The national airline represents Pakistan’s prestige and should not have been sold. When it had become profitable, why was it privatised?” he questioned.

The JI leader emphasized that while there is no complaint against the private sector, the government itself bears responsibility for the undervalued sale. According to Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, the airline generated Rs 112 billion in revenue this year with a Rs 10 billion profit, underscoring that the strategic asset was sold at a price far below its actual value.