Future of Roosevelt Hotel: Deputy AG asked to get instructions from relevant authority

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed the deputy attorney general to get instructions from the relevant authority regarding "planned privatization" of Roosevelt Hotel owned by the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in New York.

A single-member bench of Justice Aamer Farooq heard the petition of Sharif Sabir against the 'planned' privatisation of the PIA hotel in the USA.

The petitioner submitted that the PTI-led federal government had planned to privatise the asset of the national airline in the heart of the global commercial and tourism hub in New York, the USA.

Sharif has filed a petition through Mian Ghaffar, and contended that an effort had been made by every government in the past to sell or privatise the Roosevelt Hotel.

He made Finance Adviser Hafeez Shaikh, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari, Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, and the secretary Aviation as respondents.

During the course of hearing, the deputy attorney general told the court that Roosevelt Hotel was not being privatised.

However, when Justice Aamer asked him whether he wanted to submit a written statement in this regard, the deputy attorney general replied that he needed some time to seek instructions from the government of Pakistan in that connection.

The bench, therefore, directed him to get the instruction from the relevant authority about its plans in relation to PIA hotel in the USA on the next date of hearing, and adjourned the case until July 15.

The petition claimed that Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari wanted to buy the hotel through his front-man at a lower cost.

The petitioner, therefore, requested the court to restrain the government from selling or privatising the hotel.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020