ISLAMABAD: Following the successful privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the Privatisation Commission has proposed hiring market-based experts to strengthen its institutional capacity and accelerate the government’s privatisation agenda over the next year.
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The proposal was shared during a briefing to the Senate Standing Committee on Privatisation on Friday, where Privatisation Secretary Usman Akhtar Bajwa highlighted operational constraints faced by the commission. He told lawmakers that a single expert could effectively manage no more than two privatisation transactions at a time, underscoring the need for additional specialised professionals to handle the growing pipeline.
Senate Standing Committee on Privatization met under the Chairmanship of Senator Dr. Afnan Ullah Khan; reviews #PIACL privatization, budgetary allocations 🇵🇰@GovtofPakistan@afnanullahkh#Senate #Privatization pic.twitter.com/fzowzgNAJe
— ꜱᴇɴᴀᴛᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴘᴀᴋɪꜱᴛᴀɴ 🇵🇰 (@SenatePakistan) January 30, 2026
Mr Bajwa stressed that sector-specific expertise would be particularly important for the privatisation of power distribution companies (Discos), which involve complex regulatory, technical and financial challenges. He noted that while the PIA transaction had been completed using the commission’s existing workforce, future deals would require enhanced technical capacity and specialised market knowledge.
The committee was informed that both the privatisation division and the Privatisation Commission were currently operating under limited budgets, with a significant portion allocated to employee-related expenses. As a result, the commission had submitted a proposal seeking an increase in its annual budget to facilitate the hiring of market-based professionals on competitive salaries.
Some committee members questioned the necessity of additional recruitment, expressing concerns about expanding government expenditure. However, the chairman of the committee, Senator Afnan Ullah Khan, welcomed the proposal in principle and praised the commission’s recent performance.
He also commended the ministry and the Privatisation Commission for the successful completion of the PIA privatisation, describing it as a significant milestone in the government’s broader economic reform agenda.
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Officials maintained that strengthening institutional capacity through targeted hiring would help ensure transparency, efficiency and timely execution of upcoming privatisation transactions, particularly in sectors requiring specialised expertise.