Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday announced that the bidding process for the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will be broadcast live on national television, emphasizing that full transparency and merit will remain the government’s top priorities.
"The entire tender on December 23, 2025 will be broadcast live on all media channels so that the nation can witness the process first-hand." he added. During a meeting at the Prime Minister House with all business leaders and representatives of companies involved in the privatization of PIA, the prime minister said the airline’s lost reputation must be restored through a smooth and credible transition. He said the government was committed to aligning the national flag carrier with modern aviation standards, adding that the reform and disinvestment process was progressing in an efficient and structured manner.
"InshaAllah, PIA will once again live up to its old slogan of “Great People to Fly With”." commented the prime minister. Reiterating his government’s commitment to a corruption-free and professionally executed process, he said transparency would be maintained at every step. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said restoring PIA global routes would greatly benefit overseas Pakistanis by providing them with reliable connectivity. Modernizing the airline, he added, was also critical to strengthening Pakistan’s tourism sector, which required a competitive and efficient national airline. The prime minister said he was hopeful that whoever eventually takes over would devote all his energies to restoring the airline’s identity and ensuring its long-term growth. The participants commended the government for adopting a transparent and professional mechanism for the privatization exercise. The meeting was attended by all bidders involved in the PIA privatization round, along with senior members of the federal cabinet and government advisors. federal ministers Ishaq Dar, Ahsan Iqbal Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Azam Nazeer Tarar and Sardar Owais Leghari; Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani; Advisor to Prime Minister Muhammad Ali; Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar; and senior officials were present. Tariff policy Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said the incumbent government was taking priority measures to reduce the cost of production of industrial goods for local industry, commerce and people. The prime minister, who chaired a meeting to review the recommendations of the sub-working group on customs duties and other trade sector reforms, said the National Tariff Policy approved by the government was a revolutionary step to boost domestic industrial production while making businesses competitive in local and international markets. He said the Policy was also introduced to align the country’s exports and imports with the overall national economic growth. He said identifying sector-specific proposals and issues was inevitable to increase domestic industrial production and trade. The prime minister said that for decades, the Export Development Fund was not used to promote research and training to improve economic and industrial production capacity. He stressed that the recommendations and proposals for reform in the export and import sectors presented by the experts must be based on realistic data and statistics. Prime Minister Shehbaz also ordered strict monitoring of customs duty collection on bilateral trade goods and goods in transit with other countries at the border. The working group considered that sustainable export-led economic growth was only possible through increased investment and production capacity, government protection and better infrastructure. During the meeting, Muhammad Ali Tabba and other representatives of the business community, who are part of the sub-working group, briefed the Prime Minister on issues related to customs and tax collection and presented their recommendations. Prime Minister Shehbaz welcomed the recommendations and directed the concerned ministries and institutions to provide all possible facilities to the business community and investors. The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Musadik Malik, Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, Ahad Khan Cheema, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Azhar Bilal Kayani, Haroon Akhtar, National Coordinator of Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), representatives of domestic industry and business community and senior government officials.
