The Ministry of Aviation has reported that the Pakistan Airports Authority has authorized the transfer of management authority of Islamabad International Airport to a Turkish consortium for a 15-year period.

Aviation Secretary Ahsan Mangi presided over a Board of Directors meeting whereby the decision was made to transfer managerial authority of Islamabad Airport to the Turkish Consortium, TERG.

The bid from the Turkish consortium TERG, which offered 47.25% of the project cost, was later accepted by the board. The next stage, according to sources, will be to ask the federal cabinet for permission in order to complete the outsourcing arrangement.

The government intends to contract out the administration of the airports in Karachi and Lahore in addition to Islamabad as part of its larger aviation strategy.

A new PIA CEO has been appointed.

In the meantime, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is moving on with the appointment of a new permanent CEO. Imran Aslam Khan and Khurram Mushtaq, a senior PIA officer, have been shortlisted for the role out of 37 applications.

The shortlisted applicants have been sent to the PIA Board by the PIA HR department, which will interview them and select three for further consideration. The new CEO will then be chosen for a three-year term by the prime minister.

It took more than ten years to settle a simple land transfer dispute, Justice Kayani bemoaned. Judges have been working on a case for ten years that might have been resolved in an hour, he said, adding, “Here, judges are incompetent, but lawyers should not act the same way.”

The judge added that the issue of delayed case decisions has not been remedied, even though the judiciary has seen the contributions of many outstanding justices in the past. He went on to emphasize the burden on the public by asking, “What is the fault of the people if it takes 10 years to resolve a case?”

Over 150 court appearances were made throughout the case, wasting the public’s money as well as the court’s time, according to Justice Kayani. He urged attorneys to refrain from adding to the inefficiency and emphasized the need for professionalism and expertise.

Judge Humayun Dilawar and Additional Judge Muhammad Shabbir Bhatti had already heard the matter before Justice Kayani reserved the verdict.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope about Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) return to its former prominence and called the airline’s decision to resume flights to Europe a major accomplishment.

During a federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday, he emphasized that operations to the UK will soon resume and that the first PIA flight to Paris has already taken off.

In particular, Khawaja Asif, the defense minister, and Abdul Aleem Khan, the federal minister for the investment board, communications, and privatization, were commended by the prime minister for their efforts in reaching this milestone.

The aviation minister’s statement from that era caused serious economic harm, he added, referring to the difficulties PIA faced under the PTI-led government. Its negative impacts are now being lessened by our efforts,” Shehbaz said.

Along with announcing the establishment of a new Pak-Iran border crossing at Panjgur, the PM said that this would increase legitimate trade and reduce smuggling. He added that bunkers were being demolished and that basic supplies like food and medicine were being provided, indicating that things were getting back to normal in Kurram.

The army chief is leading operations against terrorists, Shehbaz said, highlighting continuous efforts to combat terrorism. He also mentioned that 27 terrorists were recently killed in an operation in Balochistan.

He stated, “Operations are being carried out against terrorists in other places as well,” and he hoped that peaceful situations similar to those in 2018 will soon be the norm throughout Pakistan.

In response to queries over electricity costs, the prime minister stated that a task committee is attempting to lower expenses. As part of ongoing negotiations with independent power producers (IPPs), the Energy Ministry is working to lower the cost of electricity. An update on the development is anticipated shortly. “The function of Gencos is not to collect capacity payments,” he stated.

At the end of the meeting, Shehbaz Sharif reiterated his government’s commitment to improving security, fostering economic stability, and rebuilding public confidence in national institutions.