ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Federal Cabinet has decided to appoint Air Vice Marshal Arshad Khan as the Chairman Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said.
Briefing the media about the Cabinet meeting held in Islamabad on Thursday with Prime minister Imran Khan in the Chair, the minister said that PIA is under debt burden of Rs 406 billion with a monthly operational loss of Rs 2 billion.
Fawad Chaudhry said that advertisements have been placed in media for appointment of new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the airline. He said that restructuring plan of the PIA has also been submitted to the Finance Minister Asad Umar.
Air Vice Marshal Arshad Khan as new Chairman PIA & Aun Abbas as new MD Pakistan Baitul Maal
The information minister said that the Federal Cabinet has also given approval to appointment of Aun Abbas as new Managing Director of Pakistan Baitul Maal. He added that a new Chairman of Privatization Commission has also been approved.
In addition, the minister said that the federal government has directed Interior Ministry to review Exit Control List (ECL) and remove the names of innocent people s over 3,000 people are on ECL and all of them are not guilty.
The minister said the Cabinet also asked National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to expedite process of investigation in order to bring the culprits to justice.
The information minister said the Cabinet also discussed at length the procedure and course of action for the newly launched “Naya Pakistan Housing Program” by the prime minister. He said that it was decided that state lands would be kept as collateral to banks while people will build their houses on that land.
Chaudhary Fawad said that we have retrieved thousands of kanals of land from encroachment mafia which will be utilized for this purpose in addition to spare lands owned by some government departments. He said that “Apna Ghar Authority” will start working in two months’ time to build five million houses for the people as promised in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) manifesto.
Furthermore, the minister told media persons that an amendment has been approved in Section 35 of PPRA rules to expedite the process of buying urea for upcoming wheat crop.
Fawad Chaudhry said that the Federal Cabinet also accorded approval to constitute a committee headed by the Prime Minister’s Advisor on Commerce Abdul Razzak Dawood that will look into the matters of K-Electric and Shanghai Electric.
The minister said that the Cabinet also gave approval to the salaries of employees of Pakistan Steel Mills for the month of August.
