Pakistan People's Party (PPP) will continue protest against privatisation of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and recently imposed additional taxes to the tune of Rs 40 billion. This was stated by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla while addressing a news conference here on Friday. PPP leaders Senator Farhatullah Babar, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nafisa Shah and Nazeer Dhomki were also present on the occasion.
Saleem Mandviwalla said: "National assets have been sold to favourite people at the cost whatever they desired. Privatisation has benefited only the rich of this country and the incumbent government has set very bad examples of privatisation," he added. Reiterating that the PPP will continue its protest against the privatisation of national flag carrier and Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), he said that PPP will oppose the privatisation process initiated by the incumbent government.
He demanded of the government to immediately withdraw the ordinance relating to PIA, set up judicial commission to probe into the affairs and carry out 10 years financial audit of the national carrier prior to its privatisation. On this occasion, Mandviwalla informed newsmen that on the one hand, privatisation issue has not been discussed in the meeting of Council of Common Interests and, on the other hand, all the provincial governments had opposed privatisation of PIA and Pakistan Steel Mills. He said that gas supply to the country is suspended for last six months. He deplored that Pakistan Steel Mills production is currently zero whereas it was 60 per cent during PPP regime.
Mandviwalla said that the privatisation process initiated by the incumbent government seems dubious, raising serious questions with respect to transparency. Accusing the ruling PML-N government of adopting unconstitutional way for privatising PIA, he said that PIA had brokered a deal with Etihad Airways last year whereby PIA gave its 60 international routes to Etihad Airways.
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