- April 1, 2023
‘Handing Airports to Company Run by Indians’: Pak Aircraft Owners Body Slam Outsourcing Bid
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) passenger plane arrives at the Benazir International airport in Islamabad, Pakistan (Image: Reuters)
Pakistani aviation body criticise the government’s plan to outsource operations and land assets of three major airports to a Singaporean company run by “Indians”
The Pakistan government’s bid to outsource operations and land assets to a private sector arm of the World Bank Group has been criticised by the Aircraft Owners and Operators Association (AOOA) of Pakistan, the Dawn reported.
They allege that the government did not follow the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority rules. They alleged that the government kept the proceedings of outsourcing ‘secret’ and the process is now “doubtful and dubious”.
The statement said no country outsources its money-making assets like the airports to a third country which cannot run its own airport, adding that the government has outsourced its major airports to a Singaporean company which is being run by “Indians”.
In its statement, it accused the government of outsourcing “money-making assets like the airports to a third country which cannot run its own airport” referring to a West Asian country and said the government outsourced its major airports to a Singaporean company run by “Indians”.
It threatened the government of Pakistan, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) (its private sector wing) for “malpractice and dodging law of the land”.
The Pakistani government in a bid to generate forex began outsourcing of operations and land assets at three major airports to be run through a public-private partnership, the Dawn reported. They expect the bid will help strengthen the dwindling forex reserves.
The Officers Association and Joint Employees Union of Civil Aviation also held a meeting chaired by Zareen Gul Durrani at Civil Aviation Authority Headquarters, Karachi to discuss the concerns over the government move to outsource the three airports.
During the emergency meeting, the stakeholders announced that the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will face problems along with the country if they move ahead with their plans of outsourcing the airports.
The outsourcing of Lahore, Islamabad and Quetta airports were being discussed by the government. Civil aviation employees were told to protest, approach lawmakers and reach out to President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and also to Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir to halt the outsourcing plan.
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