7 hours Ago
We perceive Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s call for transparency in the ongoing Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) privatisation process as a long overdue assertion of accountability. The national carrier, once a symbol of pride, has in recent decades morphed into a financial sinkhole—haemorrhaging public funds while delivering diminishing returns, both in service quality and operational integrity. PIA’s current situation is not the result of one bad decision, but decades of systemic mismanagement, political interference, and institutional inertia.
While governments have repeatedly spoken of reform, the airline has instead become synonymous with inefficiency, bloated payrolls, and sub-par customer experience—an unfortunate burden on a national budget already buckling under economic pressures. Privatisation, if done right, presents a genuine opportunity to draw a line under the airline’s troubled past. The emphasis, as rightly stated by the Prime Minister, must be on transparency—not just in the financial terms of the sale but in the vision for what comes next.
What will become of its employees? How will essential routes be maintained? What standards will a private operator be held to? These are questions that deserve open, clear answers, not bureaucratic smoke and mirrors. This is not merely a matter of economics but of course correction. To continue sinking public money into a model that has repeatedly failed to deliver is not just unsustainable, it is irresponsible.
A clear, strategic pivot—executed with speed, fairness, and foresight—can unburden the state while unlocking the airline’s potential under new stewardship. Rupee gains 09 paisa against dollar Lip service has grounded the airline long enough. It is time to move past nostalgia, embrace difficult decisions, and allow PIA a fighting chance to soar once more—this time, not on the back of taxpayers.
Tags: grounded reality.
