On Friday, the caretaker government informed the Senate that the plan to privatize the loss-making national flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), is still there, besides outsourcing its airport operations in line with an International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal.

Caretaker Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi, while responding to a calling attention notice in the Senate, said that “PIA is still on the privatization list”.

He said that the previous government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had devised a privatization plan, and the caretaker government is implementing it.

He said that PIA’s flight operation, disturbed due to a halt in fuel supply, has been normalized as funds were arranged for fuel provision. He emphasized that issues related to PIA span over several successive governments, adding a threadbare discussion on the national flag carrier in the presence of ministers for aviation and privatization is needed to find a solution to the issues faced by the national flag carrier.