Islamabad, November 4, 2024 – Following Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Board of Investment and Trade (BOIT) expressing serious interest in acquiring Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur stated on Monday that his province is willing to go “to any extent” to secure the national carrier.
Chief Minister Gandapur claimed the “cat’s out of the bag,” accusing the Sharif family of wanting to purchase PIA, referring to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif’s recent comments. Sharif reportedly confirmed a proposal by Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz to acquire PIA and rebrand it as “Air Punjab.” Gandapur assured that if KP were to acquire PIA, it would retain the airline’s name, respecting its national identity.
Emphasizing KP’s financial standing, Gandapur noted that the province operates a surplus budget and maintains a “100% revenue” status. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader added that his party would unveil its strategy in a power rally in Swabi on November 9. This rally, to be held at Swabi Interchange, would feature a “final call” from PTI for the incumbent government to step down.
Punjab Government Distances Itself from PIA Bidding
Separately, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, in a Lahore press conference, clarified that the Punjab government is not considering a bid to acquire PIA. She explained that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s recent comments in New York were misinterpreted.
Bokhari acknowledged discussions on establishing a new airline to address the lack of direct flights for Pakistanis traveling to the U.S. and U.K. but confirmed that neither the PML-N leadership nor the Punjab government had finalized any plans to buy PIA. She added that Sharif had merely expressed a desire to see a resurgence in Pakistan’s aviation sector, referencing PIA’s legacy as a forerunner that once helped establish globally renowned airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways.
The minister welcomed the private sector and provincial interests in PIA but criticized KP BOIT’s proposal, stating that a province with over Rs1,000 billion in debt should carefully assess its financial capacity before making such bids. Without thorough planning, she suggested, such proposals could risk being viewed as unrealistic.
