Bilawal Bhutto has openly opposed PIA’s privatisation.
The Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto has staunchly opposed the privatization agenda of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government, particularly targeting the proposed privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM).
During a gathering in Karachi to commemorate Labour Day, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari talked about his party’s stance, indicating a preference for a public-private partnership model to revitalize PIA instead of outright privatization.
This stance by the PPP stands in contrast to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) urging of Islamabad to privatize state-owned enterprises as part of broader economic reforms.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has consistently emphasized the necessity of privatizing financially hemorrhaging state-owned entities to bolster the economy.
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Despite historical hesitance from previous administrations to undertake such measures, Pakistan, grappling with deep economic challenges, committed in June 2023 to overhaul its loss-making state-owned enterprises under a $3 billion bailout agreement with the IMF.
Raza Rabbani, a prominent figure within the PPP and former Senate chairman, has lambasted the proposed privatization of PIA, denouncing it as an “unconstitutional step” and critiquing the federal cabinet’s decision-making acumen.
“دنیا کی معیشت مزدوروں کی محنت کی وجہ سے چلتی ہے، اگر اشرافیہ دولت کماتے ہیں تو وہ دولت مزدوروں کے خون اور پسینے کی بدولت کماتے ہیں، اگر ان کے کاروبار چلتے ہیں تو وہ مزدور کی محنت کی وجہ سے چلتے ہیں۔”
چیئرمین پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی بلاول بھٹو زرداری @BBhuttoZardari… pic.twitter.com/ABIVcVx0XR
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) May 1, 2024
The PPP’s rejection of the government’s privatization agenda extends to PSM, with Bilawal emphasizing that since the land falls under the jurisdiction of the Sindh government, any decisions concerning the state-owned enterprise should involve Sindh’s consent.
As Bilawal Bhutto opposes PIA’s privatisation, meanwhile, he suggested that if the federal government intends to divest from the Steel Mills, Sindh should be granted the opportunity to acquire and operate it more efficiently under a public-private partnership model.
