Miftah Ismail says provinces should serve their people, not run airlines

Former finance minister Miftah Ismail criticized the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab governments for showing interest in acquiring the struggling Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). He emphasized that provinces should focus on serving the public rather than managing airlines, as no government in the world operates airlines. The federal government’s attempt to privatize PIA failed when the sole bidder offered far below the minimum asking price. Following this, KP and Punjab governments expressed interest in acquiring the national carrier. Miftah expressed surprise at provinces having airlines and suggested that their focus should be on providing essential services to the people. The collapse of PIA’s privatization comes amid pressure from the IMF to reform fiscal policies.