ISLAMABAD  -  Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Mian Nawaz Sharif has revealed that a proposal is under serious consideration by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to establish a new airline in the country by replacing crisis-hit Pakistan International Airline (PIA).

“I feel pain when I see the state of affairs of PIA,” former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said while talking to PML-N workers and leaders in New York on Friday. He said that those who are responsible for destroying PIA are from within this system.

Nawaz Sharif said that there was a minister in the Imran Khan government who said that PIA pilots possess fake flying licenses which led to the closure of PIA routes abroad.

“I have discussed privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines with Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif who agreed with me that why not to acquire PIA and convert it to a new airline with the name “ Air Punjab “ for which brand new aircraft could also be inducted into it”, Mr. Nawaz Sharif said.

“I have told Maryam Nawaz Sharif that you can not only acquire PIA but also establish a new airline in Pakistan which may have International flights from Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta to New York, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and to every corner of the world” Nawaz Sharif said.

PML-N President Nawaz Sharif said that the government is seriously working on this new proposal to establish a new airline in the country however he did not give further details.  On Thursday PIA privatization process could not be completed as a very low bid of 10 Billion rupees was received against the government’s fixed bid of 85 Billion rupees for PIA which was subsequently rejected by the committee. Privatization of PIA is one of the conditions by an international monetary fund to Pakistan in the current IMF program under which the privatization process of the state-controlled airline was to be completed by the 30th of September however the process took place 31st of October which remained incomplete.

A high-level meeting on the plans for PIA privatization is expected at the Prime Minister’s House which may discuss further options available with the government on PIA.

This is the first time that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has spoken publicly on the privatization of PIA and the establishment of a new airline in the country.