LAHORE: A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court on Saturday challenging the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), seeking to have the entire process declared unlawful and contrary to the national interest.
Filed against the federal government, PIA Corporation, and other relevant authorities, the petition contends that existing PIA laws prohibit the sale of government-owned shares in the national flag carrier. It argues that the privatisation move lacked the required legal and constitutional approvals.
The petitioner maintained that in 2023 the National Assembly had rejected a bill relating to the sale of PIA shares, rendering the federal cabinet incompetent to proceed with the privatisation without fresh parliamentary approval. According to the plea, any decision to sell shares in PIA required explicit consent of the legislature, which was not obtained.
The petition further claimed that approval from the Council of Common Interests (CCI) was mandatory for such a transaction but was allegedly bypassed during the process.
Detailing the terms of the deal, the petitioner said PIA was sold to Nosuairb for a bid of Rs134 billion, of which only 7.5 per cent would be received by the government. It added that Rs4 billion out of the amount was allocated to the company that facilitated the bidding process.
Terming the privatisation exercise as being against national interests, the petitioner urged the court to declare the sale null and void. The plea also sought directions for the restructuring and revival of PIA under a lawful framework.
The Lahore High Court is expected to take up the petition for hearing in the coming days.
