LAHORE: Employees of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) under the banner of Peoples Unity staged a protest against the planned privatization of the national carrier, declaring that they would not allow the process to proceed under any circumstances.
The protest, held outside the PIA Town Office in Lahore, saw employees raising banners and chanting slogans against privatization. They demanded the immediate halt to the plan, arguing that it was a violation of constitutional and legal norms.
In a media interaction, President of Peoples Unity, Rana Kashif, stated that PIA had been making profits of billions of rupees for the past year and a half, with European and other international routes restored. He said, “If privatization is necessary, it should be handed over to the employees, who have kept the airline afloat through these challenging times.”
Kashif further criticized the privatization plan, claiming that the bidding process would favor the mafia, stating, “We are willing to offer more than any bidder. The aircraft should be given to us, and we should be allowed to repair the faulty planes. We were denied the permission to repair them earlier, and now there is an attempt to sell them off at throwaway prices.”
He added, “If privatization goes through, we will be forced to take extreme measures, including suicide. We will not let this privatization happen under any circumstances.”
Kashif also raised concerns about the lack of parliamentary approval for the privatization, adding, “This decision has not been approved by either Parliament or the Council of Common Interests. PIA is a state-owned enterprise, and the Constitution and law do not allow such a move. If the parliament has approved it, show us the documentation. PIA has assets worth over 1,200 billion rupees, yet its value is being set at just 100 billion rupees.”
