ISLAMABAD, Oct 23: Federal Minister for Privatization Altaf Saleem has said the government is privatizing different departments and institutions in a transparent manner to improve quality and services.

The minister was talking to a delegation of senior officers of the 72nd advanced course in administration and development of National Institute of Public Administration (Nipa), Karachi, here on Tuesday.

The delegation was briefed on the privatization policy and programme, showing the process was open and transparent and aimed at protecting the interests of consumers and the government.

The federal minister said with the exception of one or two countries, like Cuba and North Korea, every country had recognized the importance of privatization. He said privatization of entities such as Karachi Electric Supply Corporation could bring improvement in services while stopping the fiscal bleeding.

Giving example of the Muslim Commercial Bank, Mr Saleem said privatization of banks would improve customer services.

Earlier, Dr Mateen Thobani, the adviser at the Privatization Commission, made presentation on the privatization policy and programme. He also mentioned that several transactions could be taken for bidding by December 2001, including the UBL, Pak-Saudi Fertilizer, GOP minority working interests in oil and gas fields, the NBP, Faletti‘s Hotel and Hyatt Regency Hotel. Other institutions such as the PTCL, PSO, OGDC, Habib Bank, KESC, and the PPL would be privatised next year, he added.