Lahore High Court nixes plea against PIA sale

The Lah­ore High Court’s Rawal­pindi bench has dismissed a pro bono petition, challenging the ongoing privatisation of Pakistan Inter­national Airlines Corpor­ation Limited (PIACL), ruling that the Privat­isation Commission has complied with the statutory requirements under the Privatisation Comm­ission Ordinance, 2000. The court ruling paved the way for smooth selling of the national flag carrier. The petition, filed by Advocate Sardar Amber Maqsood, alleged that the Privatisation Commission had failed to issue proper notices of intent under Section 23 and did not conduct a lawful valuation of PIACL’s assets under Sec­tion 24 of the Ordinance. The petitioner also sought suspension of the process until the establishment of a Privatisation Appellate Tribunal.