ISLAMABAD: Riding on the back of the successful privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines, the Privatisation Commission has proposed hiring market-based experts to strengthen its institutional capacity and fast-track the government’s privatisation agenda over the coming year.

Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Privatisation on Friday, Privatisation Secretary Usman Akhtar Bajwa said a single expert could manage only up to two transactions at a time, making the induction of specialised professionals essential. He said sector-specific expertise, particularly for power distribution companies (Discos), was critical.

The committee was told that the PIA privatisation had been completed with the existing workforce. However, the commission now wanted to engage market-based experts on competitive salaries to handle upcoming transactions.

Members were informed that both the privatisation division and the commission were operating on limited budgets, largely consumed by employee-related expenses. A proposal to increase the commission’s annual budget to enable new hiring was presented to the committee.

While some members questioned the need for additional recruitment, the committee’s chairman, Senator Afnan Ullah Khan, appreciated the commission’s performance and agreed in principle with the proposal. He also commended the ministry and the commission on the successful privatisation of PIA.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2026