Here's a Nation report on PIA's acquisition of new aircraft:

PIA management is going to purchase nine new planes to resume its certain routes like Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles in the US to put PIA on the path of progress while unlike past the procurement process will be monitored by Transparency International (TI) a Germany based watchdog , said well informed sources in the national flag carrier on Friday.

Sources disclosed that newly appointed Chairman PIA, Rao Qamar Suleman has himself decided to take TI on board to maintain maximum transparency in the procurement process.

New planes scheduled to be purchased included five B-737-800, two B-777-LR and two Jumbo planes. Sources claimed that Jumbo planes would be used for Haj purpose while B-777 for long haul flights like Huston, Chicago and Los Angeles while B-737-800 for other routes.

A well informed officer of PIA seeking anonymity said that MD PIA was also keen in revamping of routes like Nairobi, Johannesburg, Glasgow and Bangkok etc.

He said that Rao Qamar was in negotiations with American Transport Security Administration (TSA) to get permission for direct flight from Pakistan to US destinations. He said Rao has also successfully exempted from another security check imposed by the United States on PIA flights operating between the two countries at Manchester.

TSA had given deadline to PIA for detailed checking to be started at Manchester which could force the passengers to opt for an airline other than PIA, as the security check could increase the travel time from 16 to 25 hours, sources in PIA said. As per details, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had warned PIA that after April 22nd, 2012 all passengers and luggage on board PIA aircrafts would be subjected to another security check at the Manchester airport prior to arriving in US destinations.

When contacted TI Pakistan head Adil Gillani said that though PIA management has tried to get TI on board regarding procurement of two Jumbo planes which were supposed to be used for Haj purpose but TIP has objected on procurement process and said why management was not going to purchase planes from Airbus rather than Boeing Company.

He said that as per Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) every procurement should be made through tender.

Whereas sources in PIA were of the view that MD PIA was trying to purchase two Jumbo from Saudi Airlines against throw away price and secondly the airline has all sort of infrastructure of jumbo planes including, trained crew members, wide body hanger, spare parts and engines etc.

“It is matter of national interest and TIP should support such steps of PIA MD to pull the airlines out of losses” a senior PIA officer said.

A head of Association of PIA and also office-bearer of Joint Action Committee of Pakistan International Airlines (JACPIA) said on condition of not to be named that Rao was moving in the right direction. He said MD takes officer-bearers of different associations in PIA into confidence while taking any important decision. He also appreciated other steps taken by MD in the near past.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-onli...

Here's an excerpt of ET story on privatization in Pakistan:

“The way to economic growth is to let markets, and not the government, dictate prices and allocate economic resources,” said (Ishrat) Husain, who currently serves as the dean and director of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), a leading business school based in Karachi.

Husain touched briefly on the theoretical arguments in favour of privatisation before laying out in detail how – in the few cases where it had been tried in Pakistan – it had produced a roaring success.

He gave three examples: banking, the telecommunications sector, and the power sector. In each, he laid out the reasons why it had been a success.

In the banking sector, for instance, before privatisation, the largest banks in the country were all government owned. In the early 2000s, the three big banks that the government decided to sell cost the national exchequer about Rs41 billion in bailouts in order to ensure that they were adequately capitalised. By 2011, far from needing banks, those same three banks were paying in Rs25 billion in corporate income taxes.

Indeed, Husain argued that, had the banking sector remained in government hands, the 2008 financial crisis would have been much worse than it was, and would have crippled the financial sector. The privately run banks, however, were able to weather the storm reasonably well and now nearly all of the major banks, and certainly all of the Big Five, are profitable.

To contrast with this success, Husain brought up the example of the Pakistan Steel Mills, the privatisation transaction of which was stopped by the Supreme Court on allegations of corruption in 2006. Since the transaction was halted, Pakistan Steel Mills has cost the government about Rs100 billion in bailouts. “And this does not even include the amount of foreign exchange we had to spend on importing steel because PSM is so badly run that it cannot operate on more than 25% capacity,” said Husain.
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He also addressed the concern that privatisation leads these companies to shed jobs, pointing out that many of them are too bloated in the first place, and that it is not the government’s role to employ everyone. “Of the more than 57 million people in the Pakistani workforce, only 2.5 million [less than 4.4%] work in the government and state-owned enterprises. Most of the jobs in this country come from the private sector, which is where the growth lies,” he said. So comprehensive was Husain’s arguments, that apart from two brief questions, nobody had anything left to ask him.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/436231/economic-liberalism-iba-dean-del...

Pakistan steel production to get a boost by two new players...Al Twariqi and Santex.

Here's Daily Times on Al-Twariqi:

Al-Tuwairqi Holding Company is establishing Tuwairqi Steel Mills Limited at Port Qasim, Karachi, having capacity of 1.28 million tonnes based on the latest technology and the total cost of the project is $260 million out of which US $ 225 million has so far been invested. The mill is going into production soon.

Tuwairqi also said that AL-Tuwairqi and POSCO of South Korea would sign a joint venture agreement in a ceremony to be held in Karachi today, September 2011. Tuwairqi said that he wanted to dispel the impression by setting the example that Pakistan was an ideal country for investment. He said that his venture would send a strong message to mega companies of the world that the country offered them competitive edge of doing business. “I am investing in my country to create jobs for the young people who otherwise may be misled by the enemy of my country,” he said.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\09\10\story_10-9-2011_pg5_13

Here's Daily Times on Czech Santex plans:

A Czech Group prepares to launch Euro 600 million steel venture in Pakistan.

An announcement here on Sunday said that a delegation of Santex Pakistan Limited (SPL) apprised Murad Ali Shah, Sindh Finance Minister, and Muhammad Zubair Motiwala, Chairman Sindh Board of Investment (SBI), about the establishment of steel billets making plant of 1.2 million tonnes capacity per annum and 300 MW coal-fired power plant during a meeting at the Sindh Board of Investment.

It said that the project would be launched at Bin Qasim close to Pakistan Steel Mills.

Santex Pakistan Limited is a subsidiary of Santex Group based in Czech Republic. The meeting was chaired by Sindh Finance Minister along with Chairman SBI and was attended by Secretary Finance, Secretary Coal and Energy Department, Secretary Energy, DG SBI and other government officials.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\09\24\story_24-9-2012_pg7_12

Here's a story about Air Arabia increasing flights to Pakistan:

UAE budget carrier Air Arabia on Wednesday announced the expansion of services to Karachi in Pakistan.

The four weekly flights from Sharjah to Karachi have been increased to daily flights, the airline said in a statement.

"We are extremely pleased to announce the expansion of services to Karachi in Pakistan," said Adel Ali, Group CEO, Air Arabia.

"Since launching operations to Pakistan, it has always been a market of focus for us, and the launch of additional services is a result of increasing customer demand from the market.

"The ever growing appeal for Air Arabia flights, underpinned by the value for money services, signals that Air Arabia continues to be the airline of choice for millions of passengers who travels between Pakistan and the UAE," he added.

Air Arabia started operations to Pakistan in 2007 with a launch of direct service to Karachi. Today, the carrier offers services Karachi and Peshawar.

Earlier this month, Air Arabia saw its net profit more than double to AED226m ($61.5m) in the third quarter of 2012 compared to the year ago quarter.

The airline, which operates out of Sharjah International Airport, posted revenues of AED836m for the three-month period ending September 30, up 19 percent from the corresponding quarter in 2011.

Passenger traffic rose 14 percent to 1.37m, while average seat load factor stood at 82 percent.

http://m.arabianbusiness.com/uae-s-air-arabia-ups-flights-pakistan-...

Here's an excerpt of a BR story on Zardari's visit to South Korea:

A major breakthrough came in the area of modernization of Railways. Pakistan, under the agreement, will seek high speed railways, communication systems, signaling, rail stock, modernization of operation and management, development of logistics parks and freight terminals, exchange of construction and maintenance technologies for infrastructure including tracks, bridges, overhead electrification and power supply systems.

The agreement was signed by Muhammad Arif Azim Secretary Railways and Minister of Railways of South Korea Kwon Do-youp. President Zardari in his meeting with President KORAIL Chung Chang-Young said Pakistan desired modern and efficient railways to help meet its growing industrial, agricultural and freight needs.

He said the current fleet of Pakistan Railways was unable to meet the needs of a growing nation and there was an urgent need to upgrade it.

The President who had a number of meetings with the heads of top Korean business houses said Pakistan was a heaven for foreign investors as the country's large consumer population promised good profits and lucrative business.

He said a large number of Korean companies were already operating in Pakistan and doing good business.

He said other companies can invest in many new areas while the existing ones can expand and diversify their operations. President KORAIL assured President Zardari that his company was willing to share its experiences and expertise with Pakistan Railways and help it develop on modern lines.

The President later witnessed the inking of a MoU under which Pakistan will be able to acquire used diesel locomotives and work for modernization, maintenance, operation and training of existing ones.

President Zardari during his meeting with the President and Chief Executive Officer of Samsung C&T said Pakistan needs to augment its energy resources to meet the growing demand of its industrial and domestic requirements...

http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/108-pakistan-top-news/93897-pakis...

Here's a Dawn report on PIA scrutiny by Pak Supreme Court:

Another notorious entity landed into court this week, probably because of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry himself. According to a report, “Already in the headlines for all wrong reasons, PIA again came under the flak on Monday when counsel Khalid Anwar requested the court to take a suo motu notice of the pathetic state of affairs in the airline. The request was made against the backdrop of Sunday’s incident when an Islamabad-bound PIA aircraft developed fault in one of its engines and was stuck at the Karachi airport for hours. The chief justice and some federal ministers were among the passengers.”

The report says, “The Pakistan International Airlines bemoaned in the Supreme Court on Monday that the unilateral grant of liberal traffic rights to foreign airlines was one of the reasons for the national flag carrier’s decline. It said Pakistan had become a lifeline for foreign carriers, mainly from the Gulf region, which were sucking away the resources of Pakistan (Pakistani passengers). The report regretted that foreign airlines had been increasing their capacity on Pakistan routes because of the facility of liberal traffic rights. Successive governments have allowed foreign airlines to fly to and out of the country without offering any reciprocal rights to PIA to fly to their countries.” Is PIA justified in blaming its substandard performance on foreign competition which it can’t seem to come to terms with? What about the unrelenting decline of customer services, which is a major part of the business that is being questioned by the court?

Another recent analysis states, “Pakistan recently allowed five international airlines to begin direct passenger and cargo flights from Sialkot International Airport. Qatar Airways, Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Etihad Airways and Emirates would start their operations from Sialkot soon. The number of international flights to various foreign destinations from the industrial city will reportedly rise to 45 from the existing 21 in a month.

The business community was thrilled. “The transport costs and the ability to respond to demand swiftly in a fast changing, competitive international market makes or breaks a business. Better connectivity will save local businesses time and money. Siakot will return favour by investing in modernisation of the airport and jacking up efforts to outperform their competitors in the international trade”, Mohammad Azam, a businessman from Sialkot commented.

“Sialkot is a big commercial centre with a motivated business community. The decision is a step in the right direction”, Zubair Motiwala, a known business leader said when reached over telephone.

The ministry that authenticated the government’s decision, however, did not share the euphoria. The ministry of defence, responsible for the aviation industry, detested the move that, it said, was forced on it. It believed the decision compromised national interests.

“People will still be happier if you allow them to travel free but would you do that?” a senior officer in the ministry asked when contacted in Islamabad for comments. “The sound economic decisions are not necessarily popular”, he answered without waiting for a reply. Why is the ministry not inclined to favour ‘sound economic decisions’? Why is fair and productive competition being regarded as detrimental? Could the fact that a self-absorbed ministry (that has too much on its plate in the first place) been given control of the aviation industry is proving out to be a disastrous decision?

With only three Pakistani airlines in the market, that seem are ever ready to be in the headlines for all the wrong reasons, what possible options are left for improvements in Pakistan’s aviation industry

http://dawn.com/2012/12/04/pakistans-aviation-industry-failing-to-fly/

Here's ET with a bit of good news about Pak Railway:

ISLAMABAD: Despite suffering yet another year plagued with debt and acute lack of fuel, the Pakistan Railways (PR) said on Wednesday that it managed to restore various closed trains on main and branch lines after receiving engines from various divisions.

An official of Pakistan Railways while talking to APP here on Wednesday said that key among the lines restored include the freight system which has been put back on the track due to fortuitous availability of engines.

Private trains bring windfall for PR

The Railways official revealed that the move to allow private operators has been a boon for PR through which they earned Rs1 billion profit during2012.

The Shalimar and Business Expresses lines operating under a public private partnership arrangement afforded the cash-strapped national carrier an unexpected windfall. This small offering, though may not be enough to wipe out the department’s enormous debt or bring it back in contention for travel or freight, but it has certainly made Pakistan Railways hungry for more of the same.

“We are also planning to run more trains with the help of private sector to bring out organisation from the financial crisis” the official said.

Govt handout still needed for PR

Meanwhile, the department has had its pleas answered by the monied corridors of the federal government with Rs6 billion released for the department to purchase engine spare parts.

“This would help bring around 100 engines back on track within next few months,” says the report.

All out efforts are being made to improve performance and efficiency of Pakistan Railways and to make it a profit-earning organisation.

The out-of-order locomotives are being locally repaired and overhauled at Central Diesel Locomotive (CDL) workshop.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/487997/route-reinstatement-pakistan-rai...

Here's an APP report on proposed revival of Karachi Circular Railway:

The ECC which met here under the chairmanship of Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh was informed that Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has already agreed to provide 93.5pc ($2.4 billion) of the estimated cost through soft loan at a markup of 0.2pc payable in 40 years including 10 years grace period. The remaining 6.5pc ($169.6 million) will be borne by the Ministry of Railway (60pc equity), Government of Sindh (25pc equity) and the City District Government Karachi (15pc equity); the stakeholders of KUTC as per their share.

The track of the KCR will be 86 km long with 27 stations to be built around the city.

This important project will be a milestone in improving the quality of life of the citizens.

The ECC also approved the summary with special appreciation for the Ministry of Railways, the Government of Sindh and Karachi City Government for their efforts to get approved the most economic and viable project of Circular Railway for Karachi.

The ECC also discussed various agenda items of national importance. The following decisions were taken in the meeting;

At the outset of the meeting the ECC members offered special prayers for departed soul of Senior Minister of the KPK Government Mr. Bashir Bilour who lost his life in a terrorist attack in Peshawar recently.

The ECC prayed to Almighty God for resting the departed soul in eternal peace and for granting courage to the bereaved family to bear this precious loss.

Ministry of Railways moved a summary seeking the approval of the ECC for waiver of on-lending charges to Karachi Urban Transport Corporation for the Project "Revival of Karachi Circular Railways as Modern Commuter System".

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has already agreed to provide 93.5pc (US$2.4 billion) of the estimated cost through soft loan at a markup of 0.2pc payable in 40 years including 10 years grace period.

The remaining 6.5pc (US$169.6 million) will be borne by the Ministry of Railway (60pc equity), Government of Sindh (25pc equity) and the City District Government Karachi (15pc equity); the stakeholders of KUTC as per their share.

The track of the KCR will be 86 km long and 27 stations will be built around the city.

This important project will be a milestone in improving the quality of life of the citizens.

The ECC approved the summary with special appreciation for the Ministry of Railways, the Government of Sindh and Karachi City Government for their efforts to get approved the most economic and viable project of Circular Railway for Karachi.

The ECC also approved a summary by Ministry of Railways for changes in the composition of Business Express.

Ministry of Railways submitted a summary for ECC approval back in July 2012.

http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/1-front-top-news/98665-ecc-approv...

Here's Bloomberg on PIA seeking Pak govt subsidy yet again:

Pakistan International Airlines Corp. (PIAA), the flag carrier reeling from seven straight years of losses, sought financial assistance from the government for at least a third time since 2007 to pare debt.

The carrier, also known as PIA, has asked for 25 billion rupees ($257 million) from the government, Managing Director Muhammad Junaid Yunus said in a Jan. 1 interview at his office in Karachi, Pakistan. The management is in talks with the finance ministry to raise the capital before March, he said.

“I’m praying that we get this,” Yunus said. “This is a government airline, it’s a national asset.”

PIA plans to lease 12 fuel-efficient planes this year, Yunus said, as the company turns for funds to the government, which itself is trying to repair state finances after recording the highest budget deficit in two decades. South Asian carriers Air India Ltd. and SriLankan Airlines Ltd. have also won state funding amid competition from Emirates and Middle East carriers.

Pakistan’s national carrier got government loans of 25 billion rupees in 2007 and about 8 billion rupees in the year ended in June 2009, Yunus said.

“The cash injection won’t bring PIA out of trouble but it will still make things better for them,” said Khurram Schehzad, the Karachi-based head of research at brokerage Arif Habib Ltd. “The implementation of this should be gradual considering the looming elections and the coming budget.”

PIA fell 14 percent to 3.82 rupees at close of trading in Karachi yesterday. The benchmark KSE 100 index fell 1.8 percent. The stock more than doubled in 2012, ending eight straight years of annual declines.
Kingfisher Losses

Fuel costs and rising competition have also hurt other carriers in the region. The Indian government said it may provide as much as 300 billion rupees ($5.5 billion) to unprofitable Air India through 2020. Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. (KAIR), India’s second-biggest carrier by market share in 2011, has halted operations since October after five years of losses.

PIA plans to lease eight A320s and four turboprops, Yunus said. The Airbus planes would be used for services to cities including Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Mumbai. The company will raise bank loans to fund the fleet upgrade after government approval, he said.

The carrier has a debt of 150 billion rupees, Yunus said. PIA posted a loss of 26 billion rupees in 2011, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It previously reported an annual profit in 2004.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-02/pakistan-airlines-seeks-go...

Here's ET on Pakistan Railway revenue increase from private partners:

LAHORE:

The cash-strapped Pakistan Railways (PR) appears to be benefiting from its joint ventures with private companies: officials at the state-owned company admitted that the partnerships accounted for 26% of total passenger revenues for the railways, despite accounting for less than 1% of passenger traffic, during the first six months of financial year 2013.

Revenues for the Railways were up by 19.9% to Rs7.7 billion during the period between July 1 and December 20, 2012, compared to the same period in the previous year. Nearly 89% of that increase came from rising revenues in the passenger segment of the Railways, and nearly all of that increase came from the two public-private partnerships, where companies have leased out routes from Pakistan Railways. Passenger services account for nearly three-quarters of all Railways revenue.

In February 2012, Pakistan Railways signed an agreement to allow the Four Brothers Group, a diversified conglomerate, to run the Business Express, a refurbished train to that travels between Karachi and Lahore. The Railways gets Rs3.1 million per day for the service as a flat fee for the use of its stations and tracks. In March, a similar agreement privatised the newly revitalised Shalimar Express, operated by Air Rail Services, which provides the Railways with Rs1.5 million in lease revenues per day.
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The Privatisation Commission lists Pakistan Railways as a state-owned entity that is up for sale. Yet the left-leaning government led by the Pakistan Peoples Party seems to loathe privatising an entity that – with over 82,000 employees – is one of the largest employers in the country. An outright privatisation would almost certainly mean massive job losses, since the Railways have massive redundancies in their workforce.

And so the government appears to be pursuing what can only be described as a backdoor privatisation, where certain routes are leased out to private companies to run in exchange for fixed revenues. In addition to the two that started last year, a third train – the Night Coach – has also started service from Karachi to Lahore. It is also operated by Air Rail Services and its lease payments are set at Rs1.7 million per day.

“In the coming days, we are hoping that passenger revenues will reflect the expected increase from the latest joint venture,” said Zubair Shafi Ghauri, the spokesperson for Pakistan Railways. “We are now looking for some short-distance joint ventures from remote junctions to facilitate the rural population, though nothing is final yet.”

Whether or not this business model is sustainable is an open question. The management of the Business Express claims that their operational breakeven occurs at 55% occupancy levels, which they are only marginally above, despite operating on the popular Lahore-Karachi route. The Shalimar Express is faring a little better, with a 71% occupancy rate on the same route, with a slightly smaller train.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/492719/pakistan-railways-private-trains...

Here's Daily Times on Thai Airways increasing flights to-from Pakistan:

LAHORE: Thai Airways International has increased its flight frequencies on various destination of Pakistan including Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore. Accordingly, flights from Lahore have been increased to 6 days a week. There will be five flighs from Karachi and four from Lahore.Thai Airways has been operating in Pakistan for about 37 year’s nonstop, so we have long association with our Pakistani customers. The airlines is one of the pioneers of facilitating 100 certified Halal Food on board to flights BKK TO Pakistan V.V. Passengers don’t have to request for Halal food or Muslim food en-routing to flight from /to Bangkok–Pakistan.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\02\01\story_1-2-2013_pg10_3

Here's a Chinese report on Pakistan buying 600 million yuan (approx US$ 100) worth of locomotives:

(Beijing) – Shanghai-listed railway equipment manufacturer CSR Corp. Ltd. won bids for contracts in Pakistan and Turkmenistan on February 4.

CSR's subsidiary in Ziyang, Sichuan Province, will make 50 locomotives for Pakistan. CSR expects to deliver the first 10 by the end of the year and the rest by the end of May 2014.

Turkmenistan ordered 154 passenger cars and they will be delivered this year. CSR's wholly owned subsidiary in Nanjing will make the cars.

CSR did not say how much the contracts were worth. However, a CSR source said the usual price for 50 locomotives was about 600 million yuan, and that for 154 cars was 400 million yuan.

Last month, CSR's subsidiary in Qingdao, Shandong Province, won a 3.43 billion yuan contract to make electric train units for Argentina. It was the largest South American contract by value for a Chinese railway equipment manufacturer.

CSR is in talks with several international clients for other contracts, the source at the company said. This year its overseas sales are expected to surpass those of 2012.

CSR's revenue in the first half of last year was 42.4 billion yuan, up 5.8 percent compared to the same period in 2011, its financial report shows. Its revenue from overseas over that period was 4.8 billion yuan, rising 95.58 percent. The company's overseas revenue over the first six months of 2012 accounted for 11.33 percent of its total revenue, the first time the figure reached double-digits.

http://english.caixin.com/2013-02-05/100489915.html

Here's Khaleej Times on Etihad Airline adding flights to and from Pakistan:

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has increased its flights to the Northern city of Lahore from seven to 11 a week offering passengers more convenient travel options.

With the addition of the new services, Etihad Airways will now offer 27 weekly flights from four destinations in Pakistan which, along with Lahore, include Karachi, Islamabad and Peshawar.

The additional services will be operated by A320 aircraft fitted with 16 Pearl Business Class seats and will increase capacity by 21 per cent on the route.

These services also improve the number of connections over the airline’s Abu Dhabi hub to more than 500 connections a week (representing an increase of 20 per cent) to a number of key destinations in the GCC and Europe.

“The addition of the new flights will further strengthen commercial and cultural ties between Pakistan and the UAE and will lead to continued strong growth in traffic flows between Lahore, Abu Dhabi and beyond to many key destinations across our global network,” said Kevin Knight, Etihad Airways’ Chief Strategy and Planning Officer.

Since the start of flights to Lahore in 2006, Etihad Airways has carried more than one million passengers on this route.

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=data/nat...§ion=nationgeneral

Here's a News blog post on GeoTV's program "Chal Parha" hosted by singer Shehzad Roy:

We’ve seen some scintillating performances by Shehzad Roy ranging from ’Laga rahay’ to ‘Uth Baandh Kamar kya Darta hai’. His proximity with the general public and the extent to which he seeks solutions for the myriad problems being faced by Pakistan, exhibit his patriotism. On the other hand, his non-governmental organization – ‘Zindagi Trust’
has burgeoned up since 2007 to contest the case of ‘education emergency’ in Pakistan.

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A pop-singer, Roy is both a motivation and a lesson for any young adult living in this country. Unlike many, he isn’t chasing projection in the neighbouring media outlets, allured by ‘piles of money’ or the lust for fame. If he continues with his efforts, there are good enough chances for him to introduce a new ‘genre’ in Pakistani music industry- something like ‘social responsibility’.

Similar to other institutional transitions budding in the Pakistani society, ‘music’ also requires a reorientation. The mass media (including ‘music’ as a means of communication) is also ploughing for a ‘fresh crop’ that wants to satisfy the need of ‘social uplift’.

Making the message of ‘positive change’ vocal, isn’t an easy task. However, ‘music’ seems to be the compatible format considering the level of ignorance and illiteracy in the Pakistani society. Any nation heading towards intellectual demise should be purported by arts, literature and music to engender the thirst for ‘knowledge’.

Chal Parha- a new program being aired on GEO TV during prime time slot is a success story for the local media. It is for the first time that the most urgent need of the country has seeped into the electronic media to grab the ‘time’ and ‘space’ of a television channel. The show is unique with regards to purpose and format. Above all, it has the privilege of ‘Shehzad Roy’ serving as a testimonial. As the renowned singer himself says: “In this show, I travel across 80 cities in Pakistan from Attabad Jheel and Gulmit to Gojal and Thar and film in more than 200 government schools. In each episode we highlight an issue from public schools for example, corporal punishment, medium of instruction, population, textbooks, curriculum, teachers etc”
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The promotional song (Chal Parha) of the program defines the digression of the society, in general, for not giving due attention to ’education’. In a light yet piercing manner, the lyrics serve as a stringer for the listeners. It is a rhythmic reminder to rescue the country from the darkness of illiteracy through the light of ’education’. Moreover, an allusion towards another dilemma of the society has also been made, that is, the non-acceptance or indifference shown to talented people. Roy selects a young girl hailing from Faisalabad as a co-vocalist for the song in order to encourage her exceptional singing abilities. She complains of the lack of projection given to talented individuals in Pakistan, the reason she hums melodiously: Pair ho par saya na ho, din ho par ujala na ho, aisaa mumkin nahi… (‘how can hope and darkness coexist?’). Shehzad aptly responds to this: Yai anhonee jo baat hai, mairay dais k saath hai (this strange thing is seen in ‘my’ country).

Chal Parha is another call to declare ‘education emergency’ in Pakistan – not just by adding Article 25-A in the Constitution, but to ensure its fair and proper implementation. It aims at revolutionizing the education system of the country for saving the lives of innumerable talented gems and to alter the fate of Pakistan.

http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/blogs/2013/02/roys-chal-parha-education...

Here's a PakistanToday report on railway carriage restoration in Islamabad coach factory:

Islamabad Carriage Factory has rehabilitated 690 old coaches during the last three years, making them durable for another 20 years, an official said on Tuesday.

The factory which was established with the cooperation of the German government is capable of manufacturing 150 German-designed coaches each year.

"The Carriage Factory rehabilitated 20 coaches of meter gauge for Senegal Railway and manufactured new six slipper coaches for the Pakistan Army," an official told APP.

He said out of 400 dysfunctional coaches, 275 had been rehabilitated whereas work on the rest was already in progress. He added that the restoration of these coaches would help Pakistan Railways achieve progress.

The official said that Pakistan Railways would receive also 202 new coaches against a cost of around Rs 16 billion to improve its operations and to facilitate its passengers.

Out of the 202 coaches of various types, Pakistan Railways received 65 coaches in Completely Built Unit condition which are being utilised with different trains plying across the country.

He said the new coaches had the capacity to run at the speed of 160 km per hour but due to the dilapidated rail track it would run at 120 km.

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/03/19/city/islamabad/carriage-...

Here's an Express Trib report on new private airlines in Pakistan:

Undeterred by devastating setbacks faced by private carriers over the past few years, three more business groups have applied for airline licences to start operations in the country, industry officials have told The Express Tribune.
Rayyan Air, Vision Air and Fly Pakistan Air have decided to enter the market at a time when a shortage of operational aircraft at the state-run Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has created room for more carriers.
Vision Air International and Fly Pakistan Air have filed requests for regular public transport licences with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), while a licence has already been issued to Rayyan Air, officials said.
“All three airlines are in different stages of commencing operations. All of them seem committed, but only time will tell how many will actually survive,” commented a senior CAA official.
These airlines follow in the footsteps of privately-run Bhoja Air and Indus Air, both of which were issued aviation licences last year. Within months of its launch, Bhoja’s maiden flight to Islamabad tragically crashed, killing all 127 persons onboard the aircraft. Since then, its aircraft have been grounded and seized by the CAA as the airline struggles to settle insurance claims.
----When Pakistan adopted an ‘open skies’ policy in the 1990s, more than 20 licences were issued to prospective airliners: almost none of them survived, the sole exception being Shaheen Air. Meanwhile, high fuel prices and stiff competition has already eroded the profitability of airlines around the world. However, Rayyan Air says this does not discourage serious investors.
“It is wrong to say those airlines failed because of market conditions. All of them tried to make quick money, losing sight of long-term goals,” said Bhatti.
Vision Air International is a completely new enterprise, put together by retired air vice marshal Aamer Sharif and a former managing director of Bhoja Air. However, it is equally optimistic about its prospects: “Pakistani air traffic is growing by 10-12% every year,” Sharif said. “Middle East-based airlines are flying more and more passengers out of Pakistan. There is a huge market here.”
The lack of serious competition has allowed existing domestic carriers to arbitrarily increase fares, he claimed. “There is room for at least two or three more airlines right now,” he added.
According to our sources, Fly Pakistan Air has many backers; including a son of ex-DG CAA Nadeem Khan Yousufzai, and industry veteran Haider Jalal. Jalal is a former managing director of Aero Asia, yet another airline that went belly-up a couple of years ago. A company official refused to provide any further insights, saying they are still in talks with government officials.
Around 15 million Pakistani passengers use airlines to travel every year, with 8.3 million of them flying to international destinations and the remaining flying to local cities.
Industry officials say running an airline is a capital-intensive business, which needs professionals to manage it properly.-----

http://tribune.com.pk/story/541002/aviation-industry-three-more-car...

Here's an FT report on Nawaz Sharif's plans to revive economy:

Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan’s new prime minister, will appoint private sector managers to run state companies in efforts to revive an economy starved of investment, say leaders of his party.
Mr Sharif, who has been prime minister twice before, launched a similar policy in 1997 when he appointed commercial bankers to run three large public sector banks. All three became profitable and two, Habib Bank and United Bank, were privatised.

The plan faces a backlash from trade unions. Mr Sharif’s aides compared the process to the privatisations in the UK by Margaret Thatcher after she became prime minister in 1979.
Sartaj Aziz, former finance and foreign minister and a leader of Mr Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, told the Financial Times: “The formula is simple. You appoint good people, you allow them to appoint their people and you empower them. The government helps wherever it can.”

Officials said Ishaq Dar, a confidant of Mr Sharif, would take up his former post of finance minister in the new government.
Final results have yet to be declared but business leaders have welcomed a vote that will probably allow Mr Sharif, a wealthy Punjabi steel magnate, to have an absolute majority in parliament without the need for coalition partners.
Investors in Pakistan said they were tired of grappling with power cuts of up to 20 hours a day, widespread corruption in public life and an inefficient public sector. Mr Sharif has identified rescuing the economy as his number one priority.
A central bank official said public sector companies in power, rail transport and aviation run up huge losses each year amounting to more than 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product. “These are clearly white elephants,” he said.
Mian Muhammad Mansha, the Lahore-based owner of a Pakistani conglomerate who is reputed to be the country’s richest man, approvingly quoted a reference to Thatcher as a “modern Joan of Arc” and said Pakistan needed structural reforms similar to hers.
“First you need to get all these public sector companies out of government control,” he said. “This will release so much money that they are losing and it will make politics clean.”

The 1997 bank plan saw Mr Sharif’s government dismiss some 20,000 employees who were all given large redundancy payments. The current reform plan may meet resistance not only from unions but from politicians who are used to arranging contracts for their businesses from public sector companies.

“Mr Sharif will have to keep his own politicians under control if he wants his plan to succeed. In the past, many have thrived on patronage,” said Suhail Jehangir Malik, an economist. “Public sector companies are a huge drain on our national economy. Reforming them must be a primary objective for the new government.”
The plan is likely to win support from international donors, including the International Monetary Fund, which is expecting to begin negotiations shortly on a new $9bn loan to stave off a balance of payments crisis. Pakistan’s foreign reserves are equivalent to the value of two months of imports.
“The problem with Pakistan is both macroeconomic weakness and long-term structural issues,” said one person involved in preliminary talks with the interim government in power over the election period. “Given the severity of the economic problems, we do need to have a government that is going to undertake quite serious economic reforms.”
Under a so-called extended fund facility of up to four years, Pakistan would be expected to cut its budget deficit by increasing tax revenues, directing subsidies more accurately towards the poor and introducing policies to encourage foreign direct investment.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/374bc1a6-bbe8-11e2-a4b4-00144feab7de...

Here's a Bloomberg report on a new private airline launched in Pakistan:

Air Indus Pvt., the first Pakistani airline to start operations in almost a decade, plans to begin services to the Middle East next year, increasing competition for the loss-making Pakistan International Airlines Corp.
The carrier, which started operations July 28 with a flight to Pakistan’s capital Islamabad from its Karachi base, will seek to fly to countries including the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Thailand after the mandatory one year of domestic flights, Salman Ghazali, senior marketing manager at Air Indus, said by phone yesterday. The airline will initially offer two daily services each to Lahore and Islamabad and one to Quetta and plans to reach seven destinations next month.
The new airline joins Shaheen Air International Ltd. and Airblue Ltd. in competing for passengers in a market once dominated by the flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines, known as PIA. PIA, which has posted eight consecutive annual losses, has seen departures drop by about 10,000 in the last two years amid delays in upgrading an aging fleet, according to its latest annual report.
“Competition is great,” Sajid Habib, former deputy director general of Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, said by telephone. “Air Indus may get passengers and dent PIA’s operations if flights are on time.”
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who returned to power in May, aims to boost economic growth to 4.4 percent and keep inflation in single digits this fiscal year. The government reached agreement with the International Monetary Fund this month on a $5.3 billion loan to boost the nation’s depleted currency reserves and help stabilize its struggling economy.
Boeing Fleet
Air Indus operates a fleet of two Boeing Co. 737-300 and one 737-301 aircraft, according to its website. The aircraft offers 148 economy class seats on each flight.
“The response was better than our expectation,” Ghazali said about the airline’s first flight. “We had 90 people in the 148-seat plane. Our commercial load was full, some guests could not make it. The way people are booking and travel agents are calling means there is a good response.”

http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-29/air-indus-starts-local-...

Here's a Dawn story on Nawaz Sharif govt's privatization plan:

The government directed the Privatisation Commission on Thursday to immediately start the process for sale of 31 public sector entities (PSEs) through initial and secondary public offering and transfer of 26 per cent shares, along with management control, to the private sector.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation, presided over by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, to comply with a structural benchmark agreed to under the IMF programme.

Minister of Water and Power Khawja Asif, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of State for Privatisation Khurram Dastagir, federal secretaries, the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and chairmen of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the Board of Investment attended the meeting.

An official said the Council of Common Interests had approved these transactions in 2006, 2009 and 2011 and the CCOP just reiterated the government’s approval to go ahead with the ambitious privatisation programme.

The meeting considered a list of public sector companies submitted by the Privatisation Commission.

“After thorough deliberations, the committee agreed to initiate the process of privatisation and directed the commission to ensure that the interests of employees were to be protected at all cost,” said a statement issued by the ministry of finance.

“Most of the PSEs will be offered to the private sector through strategic divestment, including up to 26pc stakes along with management control, while shares of other companies will be offloaded through public offering,” an official told Dawn.

He said the committee did not take a decision on which companies be sold through strategic disinvestment because this was something the Privatisation Commission would propose after in-house deliberations and consultations with financial advisers.

The companies cleared for divestment include the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited, Pakistan Petroleum Limited, Mari Gas, Pak-Arab Refinery, Pakistan State Oil, Sui Southern Gas Company Limited, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, Pakistan International Airlines, PIA-Roosevelt Hotel, New York, Pakistan Railways, Gujranwala Electric Power Company, Lahore Electric Supply Company, Islamabad Electric Supply Company, Faisalabad Electric Supply Company, Northern Electric Generation Company, Pakistan Steel Mills, National Power Construction Company and Pakistan National Shipping Corporation.

The financial sector entities selected for sale in the first phase include National Bank of Pakistan, First Women Bank, Small and Medium Enterprises Bank, National Investment Trust Limited, National Insurance Company Limited, Pakistan Reinsurance Company Limited, State Life Insurance Corporation and House Building Finance Corporation.

The Civil Aviation Authority, Karachi Port Trust, Port Qasim Authority and National Highway Authority are also on the list.

The government has made a commitment with the IMF to announce a strategy for the sale of 30 firms by the end of September as a benchmark for disbursement of second tranche of the IMF loan. Under the commitment, the government is to announce privatisation plans for remainder of total 65 entities by the end of 2013.

“We are developing medium-term action plans to restructure the PIA, Steel Mills and Railways. The action plans include partial privatisation of companies through initial or secondary public offering,” the government had told the IMF....

http://www.dawn.com/news/1047333/31-enterprises-up-for-sale

Pak Supreme court should stay out of economic decisions like fixing prices for electricity. Targeted subsidies should be given to low income households to help with energy costs. General subsidies for electricity and petrol take 34% of government's revenue ,bust budget and raise deficits and drive inflation (by printing more money to pay) hurting the low-income people the most.

But I also believe Supreme Court's record on economic decisions like canceling steel mill privatization in 2005 is really bad. I want Chaudhry court to stay out of it

Energy subsidies in #Pakistan take up astounding 34% of gov revenue.Table A.3 of impressive IMF book:

http://www.cgdev.org/event/book-launch-and-discussion-energy-subsid...

There are some who are concerned that Nawaz Sharif will gift state-owned companies like PIA and Pak Steel to his buddies like Mian Mansha.

Regardless who they are sold to at whatever price, Pakistani taxpayers will be better off. These state-owned companies are used by politicians for political patronage by hiring large numbers of incompetent and corrupt people. These enterprises are sucking up a lot of tax money year after year.

http://www.riazhaq.com/2011/07/political-patronage-trumps-public.html

Here's a WSJ report on Pakistan's privatization plans:

From India to Bangladesh to Afghanistan, much of South Asia this year will be focused on elections and uncertain, sometimes violent transfers of power. An exception is Pakistan, where Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took office last summer in the country's first transition from one elected government to another. This year Mr. Sharif has the opportunity to deliver on a longstanding promise to privatize Pakistan's state-dominated and inefficient economy.

Pakistan's problems are legion, from terrorism and lawless territories to power shortages and polio. Privatizing state-owned dinosaurs isn't the sole solution, but the sooner Islamabad can stop hemorrhaging 500 billion rupees (nearly $5 billion) annually on budgets, subsidies and bailouts for failing enterprises, the better.

Spurred by a $6.6 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund, Mr. Sharif's government committed in September to begin privatizing more than 30 public energy, transport and infrastructure corporations over three years. These include Pakistan State Oil, Pakistan International Airlines and Pakistan Steel Mills.

To lead the process, Mr. Sharif appointed a 15-member privatization commission last month headed by Mohammad Zubair, formerly IBM's IBM +0.26% chief financial officer for the Middle East and Africa. Mr. Zubair should have the expertise and political independence to push his mandate aggressively, starting with the partial privatization of Pakistan International Airlines by December.

Reform prospects further improved last month when Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry reached retirement age and left the bench, ending a career distinguished by aggressive interventions in politics. In 2006 he blocked the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills, arguing that the government wanted to sell the enterprise for less than its true value.

That helped lead to a showdown with then President Pervez Musharraf, who tried to banish the chief justice from power but ended up provoking a popular backlash that cost him the presidency in 2008. Reinstated in 2009, Mr. Chaudhry became more aggressive, reliably quashing or deterring government attempts to cut subsidies or reform state-owned enterprises.

Even assuming a less powerful and more business-friendly high court, Mr. Sharif's reforms will still face resistance from organized labor and Pakistan's two major opposition parties. "We are against privatization 100 percent. This is not privatization, this is personalization," says Pakistan People's Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who accuses Mr. Sharif of plotting to enrich his fellow industrialists.

Overcoming such opposition will be a challenge, but the prime minister has the bully pulpit and economic arguments that can resonate. In September, Gallup Pakistan found 70% of the population in favor of privatizing Pakistan International Airlines....

Mr. Sharif also has to reassure investors that if they bid on properties their ownership rights will be protected. One cause of continuing concern is the unresolved spat between the Pakistani government and Etisalat, the United Arab Emirates' largest telecom firm, over payments from a 2005 privatization. Resolving that dispute could help make future privatization tenders more appealing.

Little noticed amid headlines about terrorist horrors and slowed economic growth, Pakistan's benchmark stock index rose 49% in 2013. More economic good news will likely follow this year if Mr. Sharif can deliver on his privatization promise.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303448204579338...

Here's Reuters on Pakistan's ambitious privatization plan:

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Mohammad Zubair was on a cruise dinner with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Thailand when he was offered the hardest job of his life: privatizing a huge chunk of the economy while fighting resistance from the opposition and trade unions.

When the prime minister left the table, a colleague of former IBM executive Zubair rushed to his side.

"Are you mad? Three privatization ministers have gone to jail and most have corruption cases hanging over their heads," he said. "Don't take this job."

But Pakistan's new privatization tsar is determined to find buyers for 68 public companies, most of them loss-making, including two gas companies, an oil company, about 10 banks, the national airline and power distribution companies - all within the next two years.

The government sees the sell-offs as a life saver for Pakistan's $225 billion economy crippled by power shortages, corruption and militant violence. Successful privatization is Sharif's top political and economic goal.

"We lose 500 billion rupees ($5 billion) annually because of failing enterprises," Zubair told Reuters. "Every day a file lands on a bureaucrat's desk and he has to take a decision he isn't qualified to. This can't go on, no matter what."

Pakistan can raise up to $5 billion in privatization revenue in the next two years to ease pressure on strained public finance, Zubair said.

Last September, the International Monetary Fund saved Pakistan from a possible default by agreeing to lend it $6.7 billion over three years. In return, Pakistan must make good on a longstanding promise to privatize loss-making state companies.
--------
Asad Umar, an opposition lawmaker and former chief executive of one of Pakistan's largest conglomerates, said privatization was being pursued on an unrealistic time frame and the criteria for identifying entities was inconsistent.

For Umar, it makes no sense that on the list with a bleeding airline are Oil and Gas Development Co. Ltd and Pakistan Petroleum Ltd , which made profits of 91 billion and 42 billion rupees respectively in 2013, and have zero debt.

Not all sell-offs are expected to go smoothly.

A nine-year dispute between the government and Etisalat, the United Arab Emirates' largest telecoms firm, over payments from the privatization of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd, is seen as a discouragement for investors.

But Zubair says no plan is without risk.

"There is no magic wand to ensure that all these ventures will be successful," he said. "But the bottom line is that I'm not going to hold off privatization for anyone."

http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCABREA110M520140202

Here's a WSJ story on progress in Pakistan privatization:

Pakistan expects to complete a series of large privatization transactions this spring, the country's finance minister said....

In addition to billions of dollars in revenue from state asset sales, the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, which came to power in June, is also looking for as much as $5 billion from auctioning off third- and fourth-generation mobile-phone licenses, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar told The Wall Street Journal. Another plan in the works is to split into two companies the loss-making flag carrier, Pakistan International Airlines Corp. PIAA.KA +0.37% , ahead of selling a stake, he said.

-----

The economy has since shown signs of reviving, even though growth barely keeps up with the birthrate. The IMF this month acknowledged the tentative turnaround, especially in the large-scale manufacturing and services sectors, and raised its forecast for gross domestic product growth this fiscal year to 3.1% from the previous estimate of 2.8%. The government is much more optimistic, expecting growth of some 4.4%.

"I am quite happy and satisfied that things are moving the way they should be. We are right on track," Mr. Dar said. "We are pursuing and taking the most difficult decisions, a few of which are politically unpopular. But, to fix the economy, those stabilizing measures as well as structural reforms were necessary."

In part because of interference by the country's activist judiciary, which questioned a number of government appointments, reforms have been relatively slow so far, especially on the privatization front, many critics say. Soon after taking office, Mr. Sharif's government pledged to sell stakes in 31 state-owned companies. Many of these, however, are still in the process of selecting new management teams.

"It's all entangled in this sense of going cautiously, which in turn has adverse impact as far as economic expectations are concerned," said Ishrat Hussain, the director of the Institute of Business Administration in Karachi and a former governor of Pakistan's central bank. "The investors don't see anything happening of a dynamic, vibrant nature. If they see a few privatization transactions successfully completed, they will bring in their money and invest. They are waiting for privatization to take place before they go for greenfield projects."
----------
"The government is very keen on privatization, but I'm of the opinion that it will lose a lot of political capital on it," said Hussain Dawood, a tycoon with interests in the fertilizers, chemicals and power industries. "There is going to be a political backlash because all sorts of people have vested interests."

This backlash, however, isn't necessarily insurmountable. "When there are privatizations, you can't satisfy all the participants," said Mr. Siddiqui of JS Bank. "But if the will is there to privatize, and the intention is to do it in a transparent manner, they should not be afraid of criticism."
----------
In addition to privatizations, the government is planning to raise money this fiscal year through the long-delayed sale of 3G and 4G mobile spectrum. Pakistan is the only major country in the region that still doesn't have 3G service—overtaken even by war-torn Afghanistan to the north.

The government has yet to decide whether to auction off just 3G, or 3G and 4G spectrum together, Mr. Dar said. Selling just 3G licenses could raise between $1.2 billion to $2 billion, and bundling them with 4G spectrum could generate between $4 billion and $5 billion, Mr. Dar estimated. He added that the government is considering issuing more licenses on top of the four cellular providers that currently operate in Pakistan....
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304899704579390...

Pakistan's federal government and Sindh provincial government are close to a deal with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to finance a modern mass transit system befitting the megacity of Karachi with a population of nearly 20 million, according to a Pakistani TV Channel.

The mass transit project will feature modern trains with automatic signalling and telecommunication system. An automatic train control (ATC) system will be set up. The train stations will feature computerized ticketing and vending machines, automated ticket gates and elevators. It will be run by Karachi Urban Transport Corporation (KUTC).


http://www.riazhaq.com/2014/02/japan-to-finance-and-build-modern-ma...

LAHORE: Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has said Chinese investment and supply of coal will play a significant role in boosting performance of Pakistan Railways.

Addressing a news conference in Lahore‚ he said China will invest 32 billion dollars in Pakistan. Out of this amount‚ four billion dollars investment will be made in Pakistan Railways.

He said no recommendation regarding privatization of the Railways is under consideration.

The minister said private investment will be welcomed in Pakistan Railways through a transparent manner.

He said steps are underway to utilize Railways land in a proper way.

http://paktribune.com/news/China-to-invest-4-bln-in-Pakistan-Railwa...

Some of the world’s biggest consultants, PR firms and accountants, as well as a handful of boutique banks, are competing for a tough assignment that’s only gotten harder in recent weeks: Running the sale of a minority stake in Pakistan’s money-hemorrhaging state airline, Pakistan International Airlines.
PIA, as the airline is known, dates back to the creation of Pakistan itself, when it was formed at the urging of country founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah. For most of the last decade, though, it has been losing money, thanks to combination of mismanagement, political turmoil, and general economic woes. Pakistan agreed to sell off 26% of the airline last year, as one of many conditions attached to loan of nearly $7 billion from International Monetary Fund.
Now five consortia are vying to run the PIA sale. The list of players includes more than two dozen different advisers, including Ernst & Young, McKinsey, Deloitte & Touche, Apco, Freshfields, Jefferies, and Rothschild (a full breakdown of the five groups was reported by Pakistan’s Express Tribune earlier this week).
The winning group is tasked with finding a strategic partner that can take managerial control—in other words, turn around an airline that has been run into the ground. They may have a tough time—PIA’s losses are getting progressively worse:

Losses have been mounting in part because of the challenging “law and order” situation in the country, PIA said in its 2013 annual report. What’s more, because it cannot afford to buy new aircraft, the number of flights are dropping:

PIA downsized its business again significantly in early June, cutting 26 foreign and domestic flights a day because it did not have enough planes to service them.
As if the business challenges weren’t difficult enough, there has been a recent surge in violence at Pakistan’s airports. Pakistan’s Taliban staged two attacks in early June on Karachi airport, killing several people. On June 24, a PIA aircraft was hit by gunfire as it was landing in Peshawar, killing one. Because of the attacks, several airlines that had pledged to lend PIA planes—which could have helped it restore the routes it trimmed—have rescinded the offer, Dawn reported today.
Still, managing PIA the stake sale may be attractive to the banks and accounting firms because Pakistan is planning to privatize billions of dollars worth of state-owned assets, including oil and gas companies, power companies and banks in the coming months. The country hopes to raise as much as $4 billion from privatizing state assets in the fiscal year that started July 1, despite recent aggressive attacks by the Taliban.
The consortium that can sell off a stake in money-losing PIA in this challenging environment stands to win a lot more of that business.

http://qz.com/229765/pakistan-couldnt-have-picked-a-worse-time-to-s...

Here's an FT story on Pakistan plans to raise $2 billion through privatization:


Pakistan expects to raise at least $2bn by March next year through the international sale of shares in Pakistani energy and banking companies, according to the man spearheading the privatisation drive.
Muhammad Zubair, chairman of the privatisation commission, signalled the country’s return to global equity markets following what the government says is the end of a political crisis marked by weeks of demonstrations in the capital, Islamabad.


“There was uncertainty that the prime minister will be forced to resign, the parliament will be packed up,” he said, referring to the protests led by Imran Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, and Tahirul Qadri, a moderate Islamic leader. “By mid-September, it was clear that the prime minister was staying and the parliament will remain intact.”
Demonstrators remain camped outside the parliament, but other political parties, including some opponents of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, have backed the government’s right to run the country until its five-year mandate expires in 2018.
Mr Zubair will share his message of returning political stability on Thursday when he meets potential investors at the start of a roadshow beginning in London to sell a 7.5 per cent stake in Oil and Gas Development Co. Analysts say the offer through global depositary receipts should raise more than $800m.
This will be followed by the offer of government shares in the privately run Habib Bank, which analysts said could fetch up to $1.2bn in the first quarter of next year. HBL was privatised in 2003 when 51 per cent was sold to the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development.
Mr Zubair said a successful outcome of the two deals would build investor confidence and help pave the way for privatising other public sector companies. He said at least nine electricity distribution companies and six generating companies would be privatised.
Pakistan International Airlines, the lossmaking state-owned carrier would also be offered for sale. In the past week, Pakistani officials have said the government was planning to split PIA into two, offering its international operations to a Middle Eastern airline while selling ageing aircraft and domestic routes to a local investor.
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Mr Zubair said the privatisation programme had the support of every mainstream political party. “We have met with 60 international equity funds. At least 90 per cent are convinced that political stability will remain in Pakistan . . . We now have to demonstrate we are back at work.”
Mr Sharif was elected prime minister for the third time in May 2013 and is seeking to revive confidence in an economy ravaged by corruption, poor management and attacks on official and civilian targets by Taliban Islamist extremists.
As the scion of a prominent business family in the populous Punjab province, Mr Sharif has advertised himself as a business-friendly leader eager to privatise lossmaking state groups.
But some analysts are sceptical about the likely extent of privatisation, warning that even a successful sale of OGDCL and HBL shares will not necessarily lead to the sale of struggling electricity groups.
“Getting credible foreign investors has historically proven difficult, especially when it comes to taking charge of public sector companies,” said Sakib Sherani, a former adviser to the finance ministry.
“These assets include those that are heavily overstaffed and have run in loss for a long time. The real test will come when these assets are put up for strategic sales along with transfer of management.”
Nor is political stability guaranteed, with Mr Khan and Mr Qadri repeating their demands for Mr Sharif to resign and trade unions likely to flex their muscles.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/029b3250-487a-11e4-ad19-00144feab7de...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan plans to split ailing national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) into two companies and sell control of the core business to a global airline over the next 18 months, but political opposition to the sell-off will be intense, the country’s privatization czar said.

Financial advisers are now in talks with several airlines about taking over cash-strapped PIA, which has some 17,000 employees but just 36 aircraft — and 10 of them are grounded due to a lack of spare parts.

Mohammad Zubair told Reuters in an interview during a visit to New Delhi that no decision had been taken on the buyer, but he mentioned Emirates airline, Etihad and Qatar Airways — the Gulf giants that dominate the regional sector — as possibilities.

“It’s going to be the most difficult sale,” said Zubair, who is aiming to raise around $4bn this fiscal year from the sale of stakes in several companies, anticipating demands that the government hold onto PIA and nurse it back to health itself. “If we are saying that for 25 years PIA has been going from bad to worse, we can’t claim that we are business-savvy and we can turn it around. Anyone who thinks that the government can fund it is living in a fool’s paradise.”

Zubair, a former IBM chief financial officer for the Middle East and Africa, was tapped by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take charge of a central plank of economic reforms promised by Islamabad in return for an International Monetary Fund bailout. Pakistan announced this week that it will seek to raise about $815mn through a sale of shares in Oil and Gas Development Co (OGDC), its largest offering in eight years.

Zubair said investors are returning to Pakistan after weeks of anti-government protests in Islamabad that have now fizzled out, and the OGDC deal representing 7.5% of the company’s share capital would be a test of their confidence. The OGDC sale is part of a sell-off drive to raise capital for an economy that has been crippled for years by power shortages, corruption and militant violence, and to staunch huge losses from dysfunctional companies. Zubair said the losses of power distribution companies alone are equivalent to one-sixth of the government’s fiscal revenues.

Next on the block will be the government’s 40% stake in Habib Bank Ltd, which will be sold in two stages between November and next March, for around $1.2bn. Also ahead is the sale, targeted at domestic investors, of the state’s 7.5% stake in Allied Bank Ltd, for around $150mn, Zubair said.

Over the years, critics say, governments have manipulated state Corps like PIA for political and financial gain, giving jobs to so many supporters that the size of the workforce has become unsustainable in the face of mounting losses.

Zubair said that PIA’s employee-to-aircraft ratio, at around 600, is one of the worst in the world and keeps going up as more planes are grounded. Under his plan, the airline will be spun off as a separate entity and PIA’s other interests — such as ground-handling, catering, hotels and even a poultry business — would go into a holding company that would be retained by the state.

To avoid mass layoffs that would run into political opposition the holding company would absorb all the employees, keep a share in the airline to earn dividend income and then sell off each of its interests individually over time.

Zubair said he could not proceed with the sale of PIA as quickly as other companies, partly because parliament may have to approve legislation allowing it to pass into private hands. “It’s more politically sensitive,” he said. “PIA is not going to be sold just like that.”

http://www.eturbonews.com/51147/pakistan-talks-several-airlines-abo...

NY Times: PIA flying feckless in Karachi:

KARACHI, Pakistan — It was a scene out of a cinema farce. Pakistan International Airlines Flight PK-370 was scheduled to take off from Karachi to Islamabad early one evening in September, but it had been delayed for two hours — a mechanical problem, the crew claimed.

Then a crew member confessed: The plane was waiting for a V.I.P. passenger. When a senator from the opposition Pakistan People’s Party, former Interior Minister Rehman Malik, finally showed up to board the flight, passengers mutinied and booed him away from the plane’s door. As if to keep things even, Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, a National Assembly member from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s governing party, showed up even later, reached his seat, and was then chased off the plane by the passengers.

A video of the episode went viral on social media the next day, and many Pakistanis applauded the vigilante justice against V.I.P.s who use their status to lord it over ordinary citizens.

At the same time, the episode pointed to the malaise that has overtaken P.I.A., once a national asset whose crack pilots and sound management helped establish dozens of international routes. The state-owned airline is now all but lost in a morass of financial liability, political favoritism and technical disrepute. The pressing question: whether P.I.A. has passed the point of no return and can no longer be saved.

---
It wasn’t always this way. P.I.A. began flying internationally in 1955 as the country’s government-run carrier and received early technical assistance from Pan American World Airways. It quickly became a regional leader — the first Asia-based airline to operate jets, in 1960 — and it helped Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Royal Jordanian Airlines, among others, to establish their own fleets. In the 1960s, Pierre Cardin designed its flight attendants’ uniforms, while travel posters showcased exciting destinations and the romance of international travel.

P.I.A. showed profits back then, and being nationally subsidized, it could promise job security for all employees. But the future was slowly being compromised. Ticket prices were artificially low, the airline paid high taxes on jet fuel, and its flights were not allowed to sell alcohol. Then, in the 1990s, the first Gulf War drove fuel prices and insurance rates sky-high. Subsequent tensions with India and the war against the Taliban led to repeated closures of Pakistani airspace and airports.

But not all of the airline’s problems can be laid at war’s doorstep. One of the largest is overemployment: With only 36 planes and about 17,000 employees (who fly free with their families), the airline has a ratio of employees to aircraft that is reportedly among the highest in the world. This is not a managerial strategy: It is a result of the government’s using P.I.A. as an employment reservoir. Plum jobs go to well-connected people, reflecting a larger governmental ethos of nepotism, favoritism and corruption.

Continue reading the main storyContinue reading the main storyContinue reading the main story
Meanwhile, poor maintenance has rendered some P.I.A. planes inoperable, limiting the number of routes P.I.A. can fly. In September, according to the newspaper Dawn, 10 of the airline’s 36 aircraft were grounded for lack of spare parts. Departures have been scaled back or eliminated on unprofitable routes. These factors allowed officials to report that P.I.A.'s annual loss — about $310 million last year — is estimated to be about $175 million this year. But those numbers indicate that the airline remains a huge drain on the national exchequer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/19/opinion/bina-shah-flying-feckless...

The Citi Bank has managed to arrange $120 million financing from the US EXIM Bank and Islamic Development Bank for overhauling the engines of PIA aircraft by the General Electric Company.This has been disclosed in a meeting of the Citi Bank delegation headed by Country Officer Nadeem Lodhi with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar here on Wednesday.

During the meeting, the Citi Bank team informed the minister that it was after seven years that the US EXIM Bank had undertaken financing activity in Pakistan, which reflected a growing confidence of international institutions or foreign stakeholders in Pakistan’s improved economic stature.The amount, the minister was further told, would be utilised for the overhauling engines of PIA aircraft by the General Electric Company.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-36757-US-EXIM-Bank-IDB-to-...$120-million-for-engine-overhaul-to-PIA

Federal Minister for Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique on Saturday pointed out that Pakistan Railways requires at least 1,000 locomotives and 12 billion dollars to transform it into a best train service. APP adds: The Pakistan Railways (PR) Saturday signed an agreement was with General Electric (GE) USA to procure 55 locomotives. PR Director Procurement Ziauddin Ahmed Qureshi and Mr Ishfaq representative of General Electric of the United States signed the agreement here at Railways Headquarters. Addressing a press conference Minister for Railways, Khawaja Saad Rafique who oversaw the signing of the agreement said today was a historic day for the Paksitan Railways as it was going to procure locomotives of 4,000 to 4,500 horse power from a company whose export profile was good. In future also all procurements would be made from companies having good export profile and no compromise in this regard would be made he added. He said that the PR was fulfilling its promise of procuring modern items as the GE was one of the best companies in the world. Saad Rafique said out of 55 completely built up (CBUs) locomotives 23 to 24 would be used for the Sahiwal Coal Power project 10 for Bahawalpur project and the remaining would also be used for coal operation. He said that the first shipment of the locomotives would arrive in 16 months. These locomotives he said remained operational more than their age and would return their price in three years. Pakistan Railways was also focusing on manufacturing locomotives in Pakistan and for the purpose it would reach an agreement with a company giveing best offer for transfer of technology (TOT) in Rasalpur factory. The minister said soon Eid operation would be announced. The Green Line train he said was running successfully with 100 per cent occupancy. He said the PR wanted to add value to two to three trains in current fiscal year. The minister said service structure would be made for employees in Grade 1 to 16 adding that companies would be invited through open advertisement for this purpose. To a question he said that the PR had set its priorities and work would be carried out in all areas in steps. PR Chief Executive Officer Javed Anwar and other officials were also present. http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-188646-1000-locomotives,-$12-bn-can-turn-PR-into-best-service:-Rafique

Next Up for Bid: This Shuttered Pakistan Firm, Pakistan Steel Mills Corp, Is Hard to Sell "Nightmare" http://bloom.bg/1TPJJse via @business

Investors see about two-thirds of the company’s 16,000 workers as unnecessary and most others as incompetent, Zubair, who heads Pakistan’s privatization program, said in an interview. Losses are running at roughly $20 million a month after the firm stopped operating in June because it couldn’t pay its gas bill.
“Finding a potential buyer for Pakistan Steel will be a nightmare because the company is a nightmare," said Zubair, 59, a former IBM executive. “I’ve always sold IBM products which is the easiest -- you’re always going with the best products or services. Now you’re going with one of the worst."
Time is running out for Pakistan to sell stakes in about 40 state-run companies to meet conditions for a $6.6 billion loan package it received from the International Monetary Fund in 2013. Progress is crucial for Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to show the world that Pakistan is changing as it seeks to attract foreign capital to its financial markets.
Behind Schedule
Asked about Zubair’s “nightmare" comment, Pakistan Steel spokesman Syed Abdul Hafiz Shah said the losses began piling up after the 2008 financial crisis.
“Production is zero and liabilities can’t be paid, so obviously it’s difficult to run," Shah said. “It’s up to the government what it decides. We will have to follow it."
The privatization program is already behind schedule and facing resistance among unions and opposition political parties. Five transactions yielding $1.7 billion have been completed so far, and deadlines are being pushed back.
Zubair emphasized that the privatization push is still on track. He said that legal and political hurdles have delayed the timeline for asset sales by only about three months.
“This is a very critical stage," Zubair said at his office on Dec. 4. “This is just the stage where the next momentum will be seen by the people of Pakistan."
Strategic sales are more complicated and time consuming than capital market transactions, according to Mohammed Sohail, chief executive Topline Securities Ltd.
“The challenge is not the opposition parties or people opposing privatization," Sohail said by phone from Karachi. “The situation of these companies is so bad that it will be difficult to find a buyer."
Airline Bids
The three companies seen as benchmarks for success are Pakistan Steel, national carrier Pakistan International Airlines Co. and Faisalabad Electricity Supply Co., known as Fesco. All have been earmarked for privatization for more than two decades.
A presidential decree issued last week repealed the 1956 law setting up Pakistan Airlines, removing a hurdle to selling a 26 percent stake in the national carrier by August. China’s Hainan Airlines Co. is among companies that have expressed interest, Zubair said, adding that he’ll also seek bids from Emirates, Etihad Airways PJSC and Qatar Airways Ltd.
Fesco is profitable and will be the easiest of the three to sell despite having 9,000 outstanding legal cases and spotty financial documentation, Zubair said. He plans to unload a 74 percent stake by May, a sale he hopes will generate momentum for other power producers that are in much worse shape.
Political Decisions
Pakistan Steel is more complicated. Established in 1973 to supply a nascent manufacturing sector, the company stopped operating in June after gas supplies were cut off due to mounting debts, according to Shah, the company’s spokesman. Its workforce has shrunk to 14,000 as those who hit retirement age aren’t replaced, he said.
The cabinet decided to allow the government of Sindh province -- where Pakistan Steel is based -- to have the first shot at the 74 percent stake up for sale. If Sindh doesn’t express interest by Dec. 15, Zubair said he would write to the cabinet and look for other buyers.

China To Invest $8.5 Billion To Upgrade Pakistan's Rail Network, Build Gas Pipeline: Report

http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/china-to-invest-8-5-billion-to-upgra...


China will invest about USD 8.5 billion to upgrade Pakistan's rail network and to build a key gas pipeline with Iran to meet the country's energy needs, a media report said today.

The Central Development Working Party (CDWP), a Pakistan body to authorise major projects, yesterday approved USD 10 billion worth two projects. China will provide loans equivalent to 85 per cent (USD 8.5 billion) of the cost of each project.

The cost of upgrading of Pakistan Railways existing Mainline (ML-I) and establishment of a dry port near Havelian is USD 8.2 billion, which the Chinese government will finance with a USD 7 billion concessionary loan, The Express Tribune reported.

This project is part of USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) package and is covered under the CPEC Framework Agreement, signed during the April 2015 visit of Chinese president to Pakistan.

The estimated cost of Gwadar-Nawabshah LNG Terminal & Pipeline project, also cleared in principle, is USD 2 billion including USD 1.4 billion Chinese loan. This project is strategically important for Pakistan as it will eventually link the country's gas network with Iranian system.

"The exact costs of both the projects will be firmed up after finalising financing arrangements," CDWP Chairman and Minister for Planning, Ahsan Iqbal, said.

"After finalisation of the financing arrangements, both the projects will be taken to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) with firmed up cost for final approval," he said.

At present, Pakistan Railways is picking up less than 4 per cent of the traffic volume of the country, which the government intends to increase to at least 20 per cent by 2025.

The project is planned to be completed in two phases in five years by 2021 on engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode. Phase-I will be completed by December 2017 and Phase-II by the year 2021.

The CDWP also cleared Gwadar-Nawabshah LNG Terminal and Pipeline Project at an estimated cost of roughly USD 2 billion or Rs. 206.6 billion.

The Chinese Exim bank will provide 85 per cent of the financing under government-to-government mode. The EPC contract will be given to a Chinese company. The pipeline project will be included in the CPEC framework.

The key objective of this project is to overcome gas shortages by importing LNG and its transportation through Gwadar-Nawabshah pipeline.

In phase-I, the pipeline will follow the coastal pipeline corridor, which was formally established for the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. In phase-II, a 90-kilometer patch will be constructed from Gwadar to Pakistan-Iran border to tie the national network with Iranian system.

#Pakistan to launch $US 8.2bn upgrading #railway track project. International Railway Journal #CPEC http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/main-line/pakistan-to-launch-d... … via @railjournal

THE Pakistan government has approved a $US 8.2bn project to upgrade the 1872km Karachi - Peshawar main line by 2021, 85% of which will be funded by a concessionary loan from China the terms of which will now be negotiated.

The project is part of the $US 46bn China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a framework agreement for which was signed in April 2015 during a visit to Pakistan by China's president Mr Xi Jinping.

The work will be carried out in two phases, with the first due for completion in December 2017 and the second in 2021. The project will include track relaying, and upgrading of bridges, tunnels, and culverts, with the objective of increasing the axleload from 22.8 tonnes to 25 tonnes. A dry port will also be constructed at Havelian and the 55km line from there to Taxila will be upgraded.

Pakistan Railways currently has a 4% share of national traffic and the government wants to increase this to at least 25% by 2025.

#ADB to loan #Pakistan $600m for structural reforms to boost performance and financial stability of PSUs http://www.publicfinanceinternational.org/news/2016/06/adb-agrees-6... … via @pfintl

“This assistance will give the government the ‘fiscal breathing space’ it needs to proceed with measures to create more sustainable business, delivering more efficient and cost-effective services to the Pakistani public, and will eventually free up public funds for vital social sector spending.”

At present, the Pakistan government owns 191 public sector enterprises employing around 420,000 workers. But according to the ADB, a fiscal consolidation drive to improve federal finances has prevented the government from making important reforms in this area, such as reducing pension liabilities.

ADB financing will be used to create a cost fund to “manage huge unfunded pensions and other retirement liabilities of workers”, which present a “serious threat” to Pakistan’s public sector, the bank said.

Power distribution companies and Pakistani Railways are also among the organisations that need “immediate financial support” to initiate reforms. 

Pakistani Railways will receive support to strengthen auditing and accounting, and funding will also be used to improve the transparency of the public sector and strengthen corporate governance.

This funding is part of a coordinated donor packaged arranged by the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. The programme consists of two batches of $300m and will run until 2018.

#Pakistan Railways poised to get massive funding from #CPEC and #CAREC. #China #CentralAsia http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/?p=559603 via @ePakistanToday

After decades of neglect, a silver lining is on the horizon for Pakistan Railways as it may be able to attract multi-billion dollar investment for the upgradation as well as deployment of new railway infrastructure across the country under two regional economic unions, the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) and China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), to link Central Asia and China with Pakistani ports of Karachi and Gwadar.

An official source said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has started the process to assess the financial needs for upgradation of 461 km main line (ML-1) between Lahore and Peshawar, under its CAREC Railway Connectivity Investment Programme. The financing is likely to start flowing form next year.

The Ministry of Railways has already shared plans, under early harvest projects by 2020, to upgrade Karachi-Peshawar main line (ML-1) and extension of ML-2 from Jacobabad to Gwadar via Basima to both CAREC and CPEC. If financing was available, the projects would be completed in relatively short time as the Pakistan Railways has technical expertise to execute the projects, he added.

ADB will be providing multi-tranche financing facility (MFF) to make the railway system more efficient and competitive. Improved railway corridor of Lahore-Peshawar will improve Pakistan Railways’ institutional efficiency. Financial assistance will also be provided for Railways’ modernization, IT-based accounting system and transforming and migrating accounting data into the new accounting system.

Under the plan, 411 km railway track between Lahore-Peshawar section of ML-1 will be upgraded and dualised together with new signaling and telecommunications system, including power supply for these systems, and upgraded passenger facilities at Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar stations. A 53-km section in the hilly area from Kaluwal to Pindora will have to be realigned and dualised. Except for realignment sections in the hilly tract, it is likely that all the work for rehabilitation and upgradation of the physical infrastructure will be limited to the PR-owned right of way.

Except for Pakistan, railways in all CAREC countries have more freight carriers than passenger tariff. CAREC railways have increased freight traffic volumes which shows the large potential for PR to freight forward to and from CAREC countries. Domestic market is large in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China.

In the past, the railways infrastructure plans always received a cold shoulder from the government, but now the situation has changed as multilateral institutions are interested in linking Pakistani ports with China and Central Asia. Now the government wants to attract investment in railways infrastructure and China is asked to finance upgradation of strategically located ML-1 which connects major population centers in three provinces.

Under CPEC, Pakistan has shared Phase-I (Early Harvest Projects) upgradation of ML-1 (Karachi-Peshawar and Taxila to Havelian) and construction of New Dryport at Havelian (Buldher). In medium term, Phase-II upgradation of ML-2 and extension of ML-2 (Gwadar to Jacobabad via Basima) is proposed. The long term Phase-III seeks establishment of Havelian-Khunjrab-Kashghar rail link.

The source said Pakistan has shared plans to link the Gwadar port Kandahar, Kabul and Dushanbe. The second plan is to link Gwadar with Quetta and onwards to China. He said Pakistan Railways has prepared plans on rail link between Gwadar port and Mastung, Chaman to Kandahar rail link and rail lines between Kandahar and the Tajik border are also planned.

#Pakistan Railways poised to get massive funding from #CPEC and #CAREC. #China #CentralAsia http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/?p=559603 via @ePakistanToday

After decades of neglect, a silver lining is on the horizon for Pakistan Railways as it may be able to attract multi-billion dollar investment for the upgradation as well as deployment of new railway infrastructure across the country under two regional economic unions, the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) and China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), to link Central Asia and China with Pakistani ports of Karachi and Gwadar.

An official source said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has started the process to assess the financial needs for upgradation of 461 km main line (ML-1) between Lahore and Peshawar, under its CAREC Railway Connectivity Investment Programme. The financing is likely to start flowing form next year.

The Ministry of Railways has already shared plans, under early harvest projects by 2020, to upgrade Karachi-Peshawar main line (ML-1) and extension of ML-2 from Jacobabad to Gwadar via Basima to both CAREC and CPEC. If financing was available, the projects would be completed in relatively short time as the Pakistan Railways has technical expertise to execute the projects, he added.

ADB will be providing multi-tranche financing facility (MFF) to make the railway system more efficient and competitive. Improved railway corridor of Lahore-Peshawar will improve Pakistan Railways’ institutional efficiency. Financial assistance will also be provided for Railways’ modernization, IT-based accounting system and transforming and migrating accounting data into the new accounting system.

Under the plan, 411 km railway track between Lahore-Peshawar section of ML-1 will be upgraded and dualised together with new signaling and telecommunications system, including power supply for these systems, and upgraded passenger facilities at Lahore, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar stations. A 53-km section in the hilly area from Kaluwal to Pindora will have to be realigned and dualised. Except for realignment sections in the hilly tract, it is likely that all the work for rehabilitation and upgradation of the physical infrastructure will be limited to the PR-owned right of way.

Except for Pakistan, railways in all CAREC countries have more freight carriers than passenger tariff. CAREC railways have increased freight traffic volumes which shows the large potential for PR to freight forward to and from CAREC countries. Domestic market is large in Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and China.

In the past, the railways infrastructure plans always received a cold shoulder from the government, but now the situation has changed as multilateral institutions are interested in linking Pakistani ports with China and Central Asia. Now the government wants to attract investment in railways infrastructure and China is asked to finance upgradation of strategically located ML-1 which connects major population centers in three provinces.

Under CPEC, Pakistan has shared Phase-I (Early Harvest Projects) upgradation of ML-1 (Karachi-Peshawar and Taxila to Havelian) and construction of New Dryport at Havelian (Buldher). In medium term, Phase-II upgradation of ML-2 and extension of ML-2 (Gwadar to Jacobabad via Basima) is proposed. The long term Phase-III seeks establishment of Havelian-Khunjrab-Kashghar rail link.

The source said Pakistan has shared plans to link the Gwadar port Kandahar, Kabul and Dushanbe. The second plan is to link Gwadar with Quetta and onwards to China. He said Pakistan Railways has prepared plans on rail link between Gwadar port and Mastung, Chaman to Kandahar rail link and rail lines between Kandahar and the Tajik border are also planned.

A political machine is a political group in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses (usually campaign workers), who receive rewards for their efforts. The machine's power is based on the ability of the workers to get out the vote for their candidates on election day.

Although these elements are common to most political parties and organizations, they are essential to political machines, which rely on hierarchy and rewards for political power, often enforced by a strong party whip structure. Machines sometimes have a political boss, often rely on patronage, the spoils system, "behind-the-scenes" control, and longstanding political ties within the structure of a representative democracy. Machines typically are organized on a permanent basis instead of a single election or event. The term may have a pejorative sense referring to corrupt political machines.[1]

The term "political machine" dates back to the 20th century in the United States, where such organizations have existed in some municipalities and states since the 18th century. Similar machines have been described in Latin America, where the system has been called clientelism or political clientelism (after the similar Clientela relationship in the Roman Republic), especially in rural areas, and also in some African states and other emerging democracies, like postcommunist Eastern European countries. Japan's Liberal Democratic Party is often cited as another political machine, maintaining power in suburban and rural areas through its control of farm bureaus and road construction agencies.[2] In Japan, the word jiban (literally "base" or "foundation") is the word used for political machines.

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Theodore Roosevelt, before he became president in 1901, was deeply involved in New York City politics. He explains how the machine worked:

The organization of a party in our city is really much like that of an army. There is one great central boss, assisted by some trusted and able lieutenants; these communicate with the different district bosses, whom they alternately bully and assist. The district boss in turn has a number of half-subordinates, half-allies, under him; these latter choose the captains of the election districts, etc., and come into contact with the common heelers

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The corruption of urban politics in the United States was denounced by private citizens. They achieved national and state civil-service reform and worked to replace local patronage systems with civil service. By Theodore Roosevelt's time, the Progressive Era mobilized millions of private citizens to vote against the machines


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_machine

#Pakistan aims to sell national #airline #PIA before election.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-airlines-pakistan-intl/...

Pakistan International Airlines (PIAa.KA)(PIA), hemorrhaging money and losing market share to Gulf-based rivals such as Etihad and Emirates, has been hit by management turmoil in recent years and a 2016 plane crash that led to 47 deaths.

The privatization of loss-making entities that were draining the exchequer was a key priority for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party when it swept to power in 2013.

PIA was among 68 state-owned companies earmaked for privatization in return for a $6.7 billion International Monetary Fund package that helped Pakistan to stave off a default in 2013.

Despite some initial success, the process stalled in 2016 after staff protests caused havoc with PIA operations and the government passed a law that effectively made it impossible to privatize the airline.

But Aziz, chairman of the Privatisation Commission, told Reuters that new plans have been drawn up to sell off PIA and he would take the proposals to the cabinet committee on privatization, chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

“Next step would be going to the cabinet committee ... and that’s imminent, maybe even next week,” Aziz said in his Islamabad office this week.

The new plans focus on splitting up the carrier, with the core airline business being separated from vast peripheral operations such as catering, hotels and maintenance, Aziz said. The core airline would then be sold.

HEAVY LOSSES
But to complete the transaction, Aziz said, the government would have to pass laws in parliament to reverse the 2016 legislation that converted PIA into a limited company and effectively barred the government from giving up management control.

The impetus to sell PIA has grown as the airline has piled up huge losses estimated by its former CEO in March at about $30 million a month. Total debt stood at 186 billion rupees ($1.8 billion) at the end of 2016.

When asked how soon could a buyer could acquire PIA, Aziz said: “Tomorrow morning. If you have the money, come and buy it.”

Both Emirates and Etihad had shown interest in buying PIA before the government backed down from privatization in 2016, the English-language Express Tribune newspaper reported, citing an unnamed official.

Analysts have been skeptical about the government’s ability, or willingness, to take on powerful unions and embark on a privatization process so close to general elections likely in July or August.

Aziz said that, owing to time restraints ahead of the elections, the privatization commission will focus on one state company per sector, including a bank and an energy company.

He added that there has been “huge interest” in buying Pakistan Steel Mills, once the pride of Pakistan’s industrial output but now shut and bleeding cash.

“We will get runs on the board, but the real challenge is to bring to fruition the two big animals: one is PIA and the other one is Steel Mills,” Aziz said.

Upgrading ML-1 is an early harvest project of CPEC, for which the National Railway Administration of China and the Ministry of Railways Pakistan have jointly conducted a feasibility study.
CPEC’s official website quotes the project cost of $8.176 billion for rehabilitation and up-gradation of the Karachi-Lahore Peshawar (ML-1) Railway Track, with a length of 1,872kms. The first phase of $3.2 billion covers up-gradation of four segments.

The upgrade will bring the long-needed attention to railway transportation, which has deteriorated significantly over the past few decades. The Pakistan Railways carried over 70% of the national freight load in the 1970s, which now stands at a meagre 4%. Reportedly, the Pakistan Railways expects that this would grow to 20% after completion of this project with freight traffic increasing from five to 25 million tonnes per annum by 2025. The passenger traffic is also expected to increase by 45% (from 55 to 80 million passengers per annum).

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1651831/6-cpec-and-railways/

New bus service giving Daewoo a tough time

https://www.globalvillagespace.com/new-bus-service-giving-daewoo-a-...

More and more bus services in Pakistan are competing against Daewoo style of luxury services. With the decline of Railway services, bus travel has become the chief source of intercity travel in Pakistani. The transit market is becoming overly competitive in Pakistan with new companies offering more comfort and facilities opening at a fast pace all over the world. Al Halal Travels, a new Bus Terminal, in Faisalabad, built at an estimated cost of Rs.500 million, is an interesting new addition to this burgeoning expanding market in Pakistan.

This newly constructed terminal, with international standard facilities, is located at the main Sargodha Road, opposite Crescent Textile Mills, in an area that is often called, “Bolay di Chuggi” after a local saint. Three bus companies – Faisal Motors, Shuja Motors and Silk Line – are offering services from this terminal. Silk Line is affiliated with Al Halal Travels that owns and operates the terminal. Connecting Faislabad with Rawalpindi, Lahore and Multan this terminal is already offering luxury services to more than a thousand passengers daily.

Luxury services being offered are not only air-conditioned coaches and comfy realign chairs but a choice of snacks and movies and more importantly Wi-Fi. Providing internet in buses is the latest feature across Pakistan. Internet has now become a necessity in the world with over 140 million handsets across Pakistan among which nearly half are smartphones. Handheld devices are becoming one of the biggest sources of media and entertainment in the country. 65% of the Pakistani population is reportedly under the age of 30 so airplane style video services are now merely an entertainment fad for older generation.

Fast developing motorways are transforming lifestyle and travel dynamics across Pakistan – especially in Punjab. Buses from Faisalabad now reach Lahore in less than two hours and Rawalpindi in four. Multan, which at the moment is at a four hours bus distance, will be reachable in two and a half hours once the new motorway is complete and operational. Credit for the motorways will go to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government who first conceived the idea, and kick started the work on Lahore – Islamabad motorway in 1993.

The real idea behind the motorways was to inspire the nation that Pakistan, too, can compete with the rest of world when it comes to infrastructure development. The government’s idea of introducing a service provider like Daewoo into Pakistani transport system in 1997 lead to a revolution of its own kind. Today increasing number of indigenous service providers like Al Halal Travels is competing to provide services often better than Daewoo at affordable prices.

Bankability of the Transport Sector by Karandaaz

https://karandaaz.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Bankability-of-...

Executive Summary:

1. The Transport, Logistics and Communications (TLC) sector is estimated to have contributed 13.3% of GDP in 2016-17. Of this, more than 62% was contributed by the road transport sector. In 2014-15 the sector employed 3.1 million people.

2. Most traffic intensive routes are a) Karachi to Peshawar via Hyderabad-Multan-Faisalabad-Rawalpindi; b) Sukkur to Quetta; c) Karachi to Quetta via the RCD Highway; and d) N-5 National Highway segment of Multan-Lahore-Gujranwala-Rawalpindi.

3. Passengers and freight are the primary segments of road transport sector. The fastest growing freight segment is the delivery vans at 7.5% annually, while for the passenger segment it is motor cabs and taxis at 5.9% annually.

4. Road transport grew at an average rate of 6.2% annually between 1991 and 2016, faster than the average GDP growth rate 4.4% during this period. China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is expected to accelerate transport sect or growth with construction of roads and other transport infrastructure.

5. Freight transport sector is highly lucrative with profit margins ranging from 21% for large trucks to 43% for rickshaws. Passenger transport sector is even more lucrative with 30% profit margin for wagons to 50% for luxury buses.

Passenger train service halted in #Pakistan till March 31. Pakistan #Railways operates 142 trains daily on its 1,885-km-long tracks to ferry some 700 million passengers every year. #Coronavirus fears had already reduced ridership. #COVID19 #lockdown https://tribune.com.pk/story/2183068/1-pakistan-railways-suspend-pa...

The Pakistan Railways on Tuesday announced that all passenger train services would be suspended till March 31 to curb the spread of coronavirus infections.

Taking effect from midnight, all passenger trains will remain suspended owing to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the country, while cargo trains will continue to function according to their schedule.

Passengers who have already booked seats will be accommodated in trains of their choice when the services resume, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan Railways.
In case tickets are unavailable, they will receive a full refund.

The move to suspend the services came after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s approval.

Earlier in the day, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid told the media that the suspension of all passenger train services was on the cards but the final decision would be made by the prime minister.

He added that he had recommended to the prime minister to give a relief package to the railways and continue paying salaries of its employees while the services remained suspended.

On Saturday, the minister had announced the suspension of 42 trains by April 1 to restrict the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

The minister said trains would be suspended in phases, adding that the notification of the suspension would remain in effect till the first half of the holy month of Ramazan.

The trains suspended in the first and second phases included Khushhal Express, Akber Express, Sindh Express, Ravi Express, Shah Latif Express and Rohri Express. Jinnah Express, Bolan Express, Moinjo Daro Express, Thal Express, Marvi Express, Samman Shakir Express, Faisalabad Express, Musa Pak Express and Chenab Express.

The Pakistan Railways operates 142 trains on its 1,885-km-long tracks to ferry some 700 million passengers every year, which means that some 200,000 people travel by trains every day. However, because of the coronavirus spread, the number had declined.
“Due to the current situation the number has declined to 165,000 passengers per day,” the minister said.

#Pakistan government has wasted Rs58 billion in subsidies to #Karachi-based Pakistan #steelmill (PSM) since 2008 when ex Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry blocked its #privatization by #Musharraf. The Express Tribune

The federal government has so far disbursed Rs58 billion to the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) through five bailout packages since 2008-09 to ensure survival of the country’s largest industrial unit, said a report compiled by the Ministry of Industries and Production.

The report was submitted to the Supreme Court on Saturday – days after the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet – the country’s top forum for economic decision making – decided to terminate all employees of the PSM which is not functioning since 2015.

A three-judge apex court bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed is also going to take up on June 9 a slew of petitions filed against the ECC decision.

The ministry compiled the report to respond to a query of CJ Gulzar who while heading a three-judge bench on March 12 wondered why the PSM had employed thousands of people and how it was giving salaries to them when the mills was not operating for years.

The bench had also asked the federal government to attend to all PSM affairs immediately.

According to the report, the PSM owes Rs22 billion to the Sui Southern Gas Company –a state owned gas supply company – as principal amount. The National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) – a state owned bank – also extended a loan of Rs36.42 billion to the PSM and the loan is yet to be paid.

The report said the PSM stopped commercial function in 2015 without formulating any human resource plan of its 14,753 employees. The number of PSM employees declined to 8,884 in 2019 wherein 2,233 are officers and 6,651 are workers.

The government of Pakistan pays Rs355 million for monthly net salaries of the PSM employees and it doesn’t include the component of leave encashment, provident fund and gratuity.

So far the government has released Rs34.01 billion as net salaries to the PSM employees. The government has also made a payment of Rs1. 266 billion to deceased employees on compassionate grounds to mitigate suffering of families.

It said the government constituted Expert Group in 2018 with an object to invite professional recommendations for the revival of PSM.

The group primarily recommended that the government should establish a Public Private Partnership (PPP) to raising the necessary capital investment and obtaining technical expertise for revival of PSM.

It recommended that government should appoint a technical advisory consortium (TAC) to design an appropriate public-private partnership structure after ensuring a transparent international competitive bidding process to select a preferred bidder and propose and implement liability settlement plan.

The report revealed that a financial adviser has been appointed and working in collaboration with the Privatization Commission. The PSM board of directors on April 16 approved a Human Resource Retrenchment Plan that was presented before the ECC of the Cabinet.

The ECC directed the PSM to resubmit the proposal after reformulating it with consultation of the PSM management so that its scope could be extended to the maximum number of the PSM employees along with disbursement and payment plan.

Later, the PSM with the approval of its board of directors shared revised Human Resource Rationalization Plan to retrench 100 per cent workforce. The ECC on June 3 approved this plan with direction that payment to the PSM employees shall be contingent upon the decision of the apex court.

“The payment calculated by the PSM shall be final once and for all and shall not accrue any further liability against the government of Pakistan and the PSM in this regard,” said the report.

ML-1 Project: How can an outdated railway line change the destiny of Pakistan? - BBC URDU

https://youtu.be/D7pTwYlzkrI

یک وقت آئے گا جب پاکستان میں ٹرینیں بنا توقف 160 کلو میٹر فی گھنٹہ پر دوڑیں گی اور لاہور سے اسلام آباد آپ صرف ڈھائی گھنٹے میں پہنچ پائیں گے۔ کراچی سے حیدرآباد تو صرف ایک گھنٹہ لگے گا۔ یہاں تک کہ مال بردار ٹرین بھی 120 کلو میٹر فی گھنٹہ پر چلے گی۔ ایسا اس وقت ہو گا اگر آٹھ برس کی مدت میں کراچی سے پشاور تک جانے والی مین لائن ون چین کی مدد سے بحال ہو پائے گی۔ اس سے نہ صرف ریلوے کو نئی زندگی ملے گی، پاکستان کی معیشت بھی اس سے مستفید ہو گی۔ ایم ایل ون کیا ہے، کس حال میں ہے اور کیسے بحال ہو گی، دیکھیے ہمارے ساتھی عمر دراز اور فرقان الٰہی کی اس رپورٹ میں

#Pakistan, #China agree to execute ML-1 #Railway Up-gradation Project under #CPEC on a priority basis. The agreement was reached at a virtual held meeting between the CPEC Authority and the National Development and Reforms Commission (NDRC) of China. #Transport- Business Recorder

https://www.brecorder.com/news/40161566

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China agreed to execute the much-awaited mega ML-1 Pakistan Railway Up-gradation Project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on a priority basis.

The agreement was reached at a virtual held meeting between the CPEC Authority and the National Development and Reforms Commission (NDRC) of China to follow up on the decisions taken during the recent visit of the prime minister to China.

Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on CPEC Affairs Khalid Mansoor and Director-General NDRC co-chaired the meeting.

The ambassador of Pakistan in China also participated.

The meeting decided that Pakistan Railways would immediately contact the National Railway Administration (NEA) to work out further details of the project.

ML-1 project: design fault, inadequate consultancy cause delay

The meetings also discussed the schedule for holding of meetings of Joint Working Groups (JWG) for various sectors. It was decided that meetings of the Joint Working Groups for Industrial Cooperation, Information Technology, Science and Technology and Agriculture would be held in the near future.

The NDRC director-general said that the relevant Chinese institutions were already taking the necessary actions to implement the understandings reached during the visit.

The SAPM CPEC Affairs stated that the prime minister’s meeting with the Chinese leadership had been extremely fruitful and the relevant institutions of the two countries were fully geared to take the necessary steps to translate the understandings reached at the highest level into actual actions on the ground at the earliest.

The NDRC director general stated that the relevant Chinese institutions were already taking the necessary actions to implement the understandings reached during the visit. He said that the Chinese side attaches the utmost importance to the ML-1 project and several internal meetings between the National Railway Administration and other relevant institutions have been held to work out the modalities and prepare for execution of the first phase of the project.

The meeting also discussed projects in the power sector including the 300MW Power Project in Gwadar and the 1,320 MW Thar Coal Block-1 Power project. It was noted that all actions relating to these projects had been completed on Pakistan side. It was decided that the Chinese side would expedite the next steps relating to these projects.

The meeting expressed satisfaction at the pace of implementation of various projects in Gwadar such as the East Bay Expressway, New Gwadar International Airport, Pak-China Friendship Hospital, etc.

The SAPM on CPEC Affairs expressed his gratitude to the NDRC for their support and facilitation in forwarding the agenda of the CPEC.

Bilal I Gilani
@bilalgilani
In one decade PIA has lost 25% of its fleet

2 / 3 rd of available seat and passengers who got on to a PIA

Yet we continue to put tax money to save this

https://twitter.com/bilalgilani/status/1535718850351837187?s=20&...

China, Pakistan Agree to Launch $10 Billion Railroad Project
Two countries plan to upgrade line from Karachi to Peshawar
Pakistan officials have said they expect funding from China
By Faseeh Mangi


https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-02/china-pakistan-a...

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif agreed in a meeting in Beijing to launch a high-speed rail project that could cost $9.85 billion, a move that comes as the world’s No. 2 economy moves to slow some of its lending due to growth concerns.

The two nations agreed to get started on the Main Line-1, according to a statement from Sharif’s office, which described it as “a project of strategic importance.”

That project involves upgrading a 1,163-mile, colonial-era track from Karachi to Peshawar to carry high-speed trains. Earlier this week, Pakistan formally approved the project, which has been in discussion for years, without saying where the funding would come from or providing technical details.

Officials in Pakistan have previously said they expected to get loans from China for the upgrade.

The US has in the past criticized China for using what it calls “debt diplomacy” to make developing nations more dependent on Beijing. Still, earlier this year China delayed a bailout for Pakistan as its debt soared, and it has been scaling back lending in Africa as its economy slows.

About 30% of Pakistan’s foreign debt is owed to China, including state-owned commercial banks, the International Monetary Fund said in a report in September.

In June, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded its outlook on Pakistan to negative from stable, citing financial concerns.

See: Xi Kicks Off Third Term With Flurry of Diplomatic Activity

In their talks, Xi and Sharif agreed to finalize details on an inner-city rail line in Karachi. The Chinese leader also said his nation would provide 500 million yuan ($68.7 million) to Pakistan to help it rebuild after flooding over the summer that displaced more than half a million people.

Also Wednesday, the two countries’ central banks signed a memorandum of cooperation on a yuan clearing in Pakistan, the People’s Bank of China said in a statement. It didn’t give more details.

Sharif is wrapping up a two-day visit to Beijing. China is hosting a flurry of foreign leaders this week, as Xi kicks off a norm-busting third term during which he’s vowed to increase his nation’s global influence.

Vietnam’s Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong became the first foreign leader to meet Xi since the Chinese president removed rivals and installed loyalists at a leadership reshuffle last month.

Xi and his top officials are then expected to hold talks in the capital with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan. Later this month, he will likely travel to Indonesia and Thailand for major summits attended by global leaders including President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Pakistan taps Chinese credit for railway upgrade despite debt crisis
Islamabad says $10bn revamp of colonial-era line is essential even as it faces risk of default and forex reserves plunge

https://www.ft.com/content/44c26d5c-97d2-4181-b5a4-9ef66ce776db

Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s planning minister, said the ML1 upgrade was vital to keep trains running and an example of the transformative work that Chinese credit had made possible.

“If we do not undertake this project, in a couple of years Pakistan will lose its railway logistics,” Iqbal told the Financial Times.

“The whole railway system will break down, this main line will break down. It will be very risky to run commercial operations on this track. It is no longer a choice. It is an imperative.”


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Iqbal, who oversees Pakistan’s involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative, China’s international infrastructure scheme, said it would take six to nine years to complete the ML1 upgrade. The work will include replacing track, modernising signalling, converting level crossings into underpasses or flyovers and building fences to stop cattle crossing the line.

The planning minister said the project would proceed in phases “to make it more manageable”, with an initial cost of $3bn. The loan from China would be repayable over 20 to 25 years and would be “concessional”, he said, without providing further details.

Chinese lending to Pakistan goes back years, part of an effort to forge economic and military ties that will help to counter their mutual rival India. The ML1 upgrade is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a BRI centrepiece with an estimated total cost of $60bn.

The CPEC also includes Chinese development of a deep-sea port at Gwadar in south-western Pakistan, among other projects. Beijing is separately supplying Pakistan’s military with eight submarines and advanced J-10 C fighter jets.

A western diplomat in Islamabad said that for such projects to have continued even as Beijing saw growing financial distress in BRI recipient countries pointed to the importance it put on ties with Pakistan.

“Even if the rest [of BRI] lags behind, China wants to stay the course with Pakistan,” the diplomat said, adding that the relationship had “important military aspects developed over the long term”.

The projects — and Chinese financing — have also stoked domestic tensions. Police in Gwadar last month imposed emergency measures and dismantled a protest camp that had obstructed operations at the port with demands, among others, for Chinese nationals to leave.


Projects such as ML1 have also fuelled analyst concerns over whether excessive Chinese lending is exacerbating strains on Pakistan’s precarious finances. Chinese state lenders are together among the largest creditors to Islamabad, accounting for about $30bn of its outstanding debt.

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Sakib Sherani of advisory firm Macro Economic Insights said it was unfair to single out China’s role in Pakistan’s debt woes, with the largest repayments in the current financial year actually due to multilateral lenders.

But Chinese loans tend to carry higher interest rates than multilateral or other bilateral creditors, according to the AidData research lab at William & Mary college in the US. Chinese annual interest is typically 3-4 per cent compared with 1-2 per cent from OECD lenders, AidData said.



Even as it taps Beijing for the ML1 project, Pakistan is looking elsewhere for funds to help stabilise its shrinking reserves. The finance ministry is in talks with the IMF to secure the next tranche of a $7bn assistance programme, and has said it will approach “friendly” countries such as Saudi Arabia for more loans.

Sharif’s government is betting it can steady the economy in time for parliamentary elections that must be held before the end of this year.

Iqbal said he was confident the country would pull through. “Pakistan is facing economic [and] fiscal difficulties, but it is not in the range that it is a default economy yet. We are managing very prudently.”