Islamabad, August 18, 2026: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Privatisation reviewed the ongoing privatisation process of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) and Distribution Companies (DISCOs) at a meeting held at Parliament House on Tuesday.
The meeting was chaired by Muhammad Farooq Sattar and began with the recitation of the Holy Quran. The committee subsequently confirmed the minutes of its previous meeting and took up the agenda items for consideration.
The committee reviewed the implementation status of recommendations made during its previous meetings and sought updates from the relevant ministries, departments and organisations.
It stressed the need for timely and effective implementation of its recommendations and directed the concerned authorities to provide complete, accurate and updated information, along with necessary follow-up action.
The committee received a detailed briefing on the current status of ZTBL and the proposed way forward for its privatisation.
Officials informed the committee that the Federal Cabinet had approved the inclusion of ZTBL in the Privatisation Programme 2024-29 on August 13, 2024. Subsequently, the Privatisation Commission Board classified ZTBL as a major privatisation and initiated the process for its sale.
The committee also examined matters relating to the proposed privatisation of DISCOs and sought detailed information on progress, procedures and related developments.
Emphasising the importance of transparency and due diligence, the committee directed that all privatisation proceedings should strictly follow the prescribed rules and procedures.
The committee further recommended that, if the DISCOs or other entities are privatised, the employment status, service rights and legitimate interests of existing employees should be fully protected in accordance with applicable laws, rules and regulations.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Anwar-ul-Haq Chaudhary, Saba Sadiq, Samar Haroon Bilour, Sehar Kamran and Arshad Abdullah Vohra.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Privatisation and Privatisation Commission, President and CEO of ZTBL, and senior officials from the ministry and its attached departments also participated in the meeting.
