Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that the government still owns 25 per cent shares of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and warned that if the national carrier had continued running as it did over the past four years, it could have shut down.

Speaking to a price TV channel, Asif said that four years ago, a statement by a PTI minister had effectively stalled the entire aviation sector.

The minister was ostensibly referring to a statement made by former aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar in 2020 in which he had claimed that investigations revealed that more than 262 of the country’s 860 active pilots either held fake licences or had cheated in their exams.

Taking note of Ghulam Sarwar’s remarks, European and UK authorities had imposed a ban­ on PIA operations, which caused immense economic losses to the national flag carrier.

Respondingto a question, Khawaja Asif said the government was satisfied with the sale of PIA.

Highlighting that PIA’s recent successful bid reflects renewed investor interest, Khawaja Asif emphasised that privatisation would improve services at the national airline.

He added that other loss-making public sector entities, including various distribution companies, are also slated for privatisation in the future.

Khawaja Asif criticised bureaucratic inefficiency, stating that politicians are often blamed for the failures of public sector enterprises, while the real responsibility lies with the bureaucracy.

He said accountability would be ensured for those responsible for institutional losses.

On the political front, Asif said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has repeatedly invited PTI for talks, but the opposition always laid down conditions for talks.

“If PTI brings its house in order, negotiations can move forward,” he added.