Pakistan, which has been battling severe economic crisis, may outsource the operations of the Islamabad International Airport. According to a report published in prominent Pakistani daily ‘Dawn’, the embattled Shehbaz Sharif government is likely to take the decision in this regard as early as next month. Pakistani finance minister Ishaq Dar has reportedly told all the stakeholders to iron out all differences and come to an agreement by August 12. According to the report, on Saturday, Dar had held a key meeting with to take a status check of the outsourcing procedure. The Dawn report says that Dar has asked all officials to take this matter on priority and close the deal as early as possible.
It should be noted that the Shehbaz Sharif government’s term is ending on August. Because it is the day of dissolution of the Pakistan National Assembly. Apart from the outsourcing of the Islamabad International Airport, Dar also discussed the restructuring plan of the Pakistan International Airlines, the report further said. PIA’s restructuring should be completed by end of July, Dar told officials during the Saturday meeting.
Beyond Islamabad Airport
The Sharif administration had decided to outsource the operations of not just Islamabad but Karachi and Lahore Airports as well. According to the ‘Dawn’ report, the outsourcing will be done for the period of 25 years. Apart from airport operations, the outsourcing would also cover the land assets of the select airports. The decision in this regard was taken on March 31st earlier this year.
Pakistan has been facing the worst-ever economic crisis. With inflation breaking all previous records, the IMF bailout may resolve the issue, albeit briefly. Last week, the International Monetary Fund had approved a $3 billion bailout package for the cash-starved nation. According to the IMF rules, the bailout money will be made available to Islamabad in a staggered manner in next nine months.