Govt Reportedly Intends to Sell PIA Under G2G Agreement Now

The federal government is reportedly working on a new plan for the privatization of the cash-strapped national flag carrier.  According to a media report, after failure to privatize the airline it in the latest attempt, the government now plans to sell the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to either Qatar or Abu Dhabi under a government-to-government agreement.  The report also claimed that applications for expressions of interest are being accepted until November 30 in this regard.  It is pertinent to mention here that the sole interested party in PIA, real estate developer Blue World City, had refused to increase its bid of Rs. 10 billion to acquire a majority share in PIA.  Later, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa expressed its interest in acquiring the airline while Punjab government was also reportedly considering acquiring the national flag carrier.