ISLAMABAD: The Board of Privatisation Com­mission on Friday took key decisions regarding the divestment of Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Ltd (PIACL) and the management of Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi international airports.

The meeting, chaired by the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation, approved the inclusion of AKD Group Holdings (Pvt) Ltd in the consortium led by Arif Habib Corporation Ltd (AHCL), following the consortium’s request.

According to a press release, the inclusion complies with the conditions outlined in the Statement of Qualifications (SOQ). The AHCL consortium is among four pre-qualified bidders participating in the ongoing privatisation process of PIACL.

The board also recommended to the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) the inclusion of Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi airports in the privatisation programme. Under the proposal, airport management will be offered on a long-term concession basis to improve operational efficiency and attract investment.

For the privatisation of House Building Finance Company Ltd (HBFCL), the board endorsed a reference price and finalised the terms of the Sale Purchase Agreement for submission to the CCoP.

The HBFCL transaction is being carried out through a negotiated sale to the Pakistan Mortgage Refinance Company Ltd (PMRCL), which has been pre-qualified as a bidder. The CCoP and the federal cabinet had earlier approved proceeding with a negotiated sale to a single pre-qualified bidder in July 2023. PMRCL’s bid will be opened once the reference price is approved by the CCoP and ratified by the cabinet.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2025