ISLAMABAD: Two of Pakistan’s leading business groups and a company backed by the powerful military will bid for the country’s ailing national carrier, a divestment the government hopes will kickstart the privatizations of state-owned enterprises.
The sale of Pakistan International Airlines will be the first major privatization for around two decades, with the sale of loss-making state-owned enterprises a condition of last year’s $7 billion bailout by the International Monetary Fund.

The government tried unsuccessfully to last year offload a stake in PIA, which is a major burden on its budget, but the sale was aborted because of the poor state of the airline and the conditions attached to any purchase.

Expressions of interest are due by Thursday for an up to 100 percent stake in the airline, with industry insiders expecting more bidders to emerge. They say the deal has been sweetened with a tax incentive and bolstered by signs of a turnaround in PIA’s fortunes.

The Ministry of Privatization did not respond to a request for comment.

Among those planning bids are the Yunus Brothers Group, owners of the Lucky Cement and energy companies; and a consortium led by Arif Habib Limited that includes Fatima Fertilizer, Lake City, and The City School, sources within the companies said.

Fauji Fertilizer Company, which is part-owned by the military, said it will be making an expression of interest, in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange. Fertilizer production is a lucrative sector in Pakistan.

A group of PIA employees has also come forward to bid.

“The employees will use their provident fund and pension, in addition to finding an investor to place a bid. We’re doing this to save jobs and turn around the company,” said Hidayatullah Khan, president of the airline’s Senior Staff Association.

The airline was restructured last year, offloading approximately 80 percent of its legacy debt to the government to make it more attractive to investors. But bidders remain concerned about overstaffing and the ability to fire employees.

Last year’s sale effort failed when the sole bid of $36 million fell far short of a $305 million floor price.

Interested parties walked away before bidding, partly because the government was not willing to give up 100 percent of the company, with bidders saying they did not want the government to remain involved.

Since then, PIA has posted its first operating profit in 21 years, driven by cost-cutting reforms, after making cumulative losses of $2.5 billion.

This success of the current process will depend on whether the government is willing to give up a 100 percent stake, industry insiders said.

They added that a government decision this month to remove the requirement of paying sales tax upfront on the lease of new aircraft, which had been an impediment, will make the deal more attractive.

PIA resumed flights to Europe in January after the European Union lifted a four-year safety ban. The airline has also approached UK authorities for permission to resume services to London and Manchester.

The restoration of international routes is vital to future growth opportunities and successful bidders are likely to bring in foreign airlines as operators. 

ISLAMABAD: Careem, the Dubai-based super-app with operations in 70 cities worldwide, will suspend its core ride-hailing service in Pakistan from today, Wednesday, due to worsening economic conditions and stiff market competition, its co-founder announced in a statement on LinkedIn.

Careem launched in Pakistan in 2015 and quickly became a household name for offering a cheap and easy alternative to traditional taxis and rickshaws. The company’s app-based service helped popularize cashless payments and gave flexible income opportunities to thousands of drivers, known as “captains.”

“This was an incredibly difficult decision [to suspend operations]. The challenging macroeconomic reality, intensifying competition, and global capital allocation made it hard to justify the investment levels required to deliver a safe and dependable service in the country,” Sheikha said. 

In recent years, Pakistan’s economic downturn, currency depreciation and rising fuel costs have squeezed ride-hailing margins.

Local players and international competitors, including Uber, which acquired Careem’s regional ride-hailing business in 2020, have also intensified competition for drivers and customers in key cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

Despite shutting down ride-hailing, Sheikha said Careem remained committed to its technology and engineering presence in Pakistan. 

“Careem Technologies ... will continue to build from Pakistan for the region. Nearly 400 colleagues across all functions (including engineering) are building the Everything App and its ecosystem of verticals (food/grocery delivery, payments, and more),” Sheikha said about the all-in-one super app that aims to combine multiple daily services in a single mobile app.

“This presence is only set to grow, with over 100 open roles and the expansion of our Falcon / NextGen program that brings in top graduates from Pakistani universities and gives them hands-on training on building highly scalable systems.”

Sheikha said Pakistan was in Careem’s DNA and its first line of code was written in Pakistan. 

“I sincerely hope to bring Careem’s services back to the country in the future,” Sheikha said.