Pakistan International Airlines to be privatised

The workers of the airline have been also up in arms, protesting against the decision by the government.

Cash-strapped Pakistan will privatise PIA, its loss-making national carrier as part of a deal with the IMF which is pushing the country to get rid of the ailing airlines.

"We have already planned to privatise the PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) in view of its heavy and recurring financial losses," said Mohammad Zubair, Privatisation Minister, triggering protests by the PIA employees and the main opposition party Pakistan People's Party .

The privatisation is part of a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which is pushing Pakistan to get rid of ailing Pakistan International Airline (PIA) due to losses it had been suffering for the past several years.

PIA suffers billion of rupees of losses annually and the government has to inject Rs 1,200 crore to Rs 1,500 crore (Rs 12-15 billion) every year to keep it in the air.

Opposition leader Khurshid Shah, who belongs to PPP, along with several smaller parties on Monday boycotted the National Assembly session over government decision to offload the carrier.

"We were and are against privatisation and will never let the government sell national assets for nothing," Shah said in angry outburst before stomping out of parliament.

The workers of the airline have been also up in arms, protesting against the decision by the government.

It has failed to deter the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Zubair who told media that the government will go ahead with the plan.

As the fear of protest looms large, finance minister Ishaq Dar met Sharif to discuss the issue of PIA.

Radio Pakistan reported that Ishaq told the Prime Minister that no employee of PIA will be laid off as the national flag carrier undergoes privatisation following the passage of a presidential ordinance.