PPP leaders slam govt’s privatisation policies, PTI’s political conduct

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leaders strongly criticized the government’s privatisation policies and the political conduct of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), alleging economic mismanagement and political intolerance.

The PPP leaders said that, in line with political traditions, the party had shown respect by inviting a PTI leader to his residence. However, they alleged that despite this gesture, the PTI leader continued using abusive language. They added that PPP did not cancel any of his political engagements, but maintained that PTI lacks the capacity to mobilize public support, claiming it cannot even fill Jinnah Ground.

Addressing a news conference alongside Senator Palwasha Khan, PPP leader Chaudhry Manzoor Ahmed said the government was in undue haste to pursue privatisation. They alleged that the process was designed to nationalize losses while privatizing profits. They claimed that the government was making tall claims about selling Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), but in reality, assets worth Rs135 billion were sold for only Rs10 billion, calling it a “clear fraud.”

Chaudhry Manzoor said that PIA earns around 40 percent of its revenue from the UK market. He alleged that during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure, open permissions were granted to international airlines, causing financial losses to PIA, while during the PTI government, issues related to pilots’ licenses further damaged the national carrier. He also claimed that a profitable route worth USD 73 million was sold to Qatar and that PIA’s commercial property in Islamabad’s Blue Area was undervalued at USD 205 million, while its buildings worldwide were sold at throwaway prices.

He further alleged that “the government was planning to absorb Rs7 trillion in debt from the power sector. The PPP would expose the privatization process before the public and raise the issue in the National Assembly and Senate committees.”

Senator Palwasha Khan, speaking on the occasion, alleged that the government issued an ordinance a day earlier without the President’s signature, claiming that even President Asif Ali Zardari had been misled. She termed it the first-ever “fake ordinance,” recalling that in the past the country had witnessed fake degrees, fake medicines, and a fake mandate.

She warned the government to act responsibly, saying Pakistan could not afford such serious mistakes. She demanded that those involved be removed from government ranks and that the “factory of fake ordinances” be shut down immediately.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026