Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has termed the sale of the national airline as against the national interest and said that selling a profitable institution at a very low price is beyond comprehension. While holding a press conference in Karachi, he said that the national airline earned a revenue of Rs 112 billion this year and made a profit of Rs 10 billion.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that the minimum price of a small aircraft is Rs 27 billion, while the national airline was sold for just Rs 10 billion, which is not even equal to the price of the old aircraft. He raised the question that even if a bid of Rs 335 billion was received, this institution should not have been sold.
He said that if the government does not have the capacity to run government institutions, then claims of governance become meaningless. According to Hafiz Naeem, the national airline has 78 international landing rights, which makes it a strategic asset.
The Jamaat-e-Islami chief clarified that his objection is not to the private sector but to the government’s decision, as selling an institution linked to national prestige was not a wise move.
