Karachi: Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has said that the national airline is an important strategic asset of Pakistan and the decision to sell it is against the public interest. Speaking at a press conference, he said that when the national airline was profitable, there is no moral or economic justification for its privatization.
Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman said that the national airline earned Rs 112 billion this year while making a net profit of Rs 10 billion. He said that the government sold this institution at a price that is not even equal to the price of a small aircraft.
He said that the national airline has dozens of valuable landing rights, which are considered the real strength of any airline. In such a situation, selling a functioning and profitable institution is tantamount to a national loss.
The Jamaat-e-Islami chief stressed that the government should have reformed the institution to run it better, not sold it. According to him, the real problem is not the private sector but poor government decisions.
