Constitutional bench withdraws order to stop PIA's privatization

Islamabad: The Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court has withdrawn the order to stop the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and disposed of the case.

During the hearing, the Additional Attorney General said that the Supreme Court had allowed the PIA administration to recruit new professionals. The government had started the process of PIA privatization, due to which the new recruitments were not made.

The Additional Attorney General stated that the privatization process is going to be repeated by the commission, and the ban on PIA flight operations has also been lifted.

Justice Aminuddin Khan, who headed the Constitutional Bench, remarked that the rates may now be higher in the re-privatization process.

Justice Jamal Mandokhel said that by carrying out the privatization process, the government is not violating the Supreme Court order as the Court had ordered that the privatization should be done in confidence with the court.

The Additional Attorney General stated that an application had been filed in the court to take the privatization into confidence, to which Justice Jamal said that the court gives its confidence that the privatization should be done in a good manner.

Later, the Supreme Court's constitutional bench withdrew the order to stop the privatization of PIA and disposed of the case.