ISLAMABAD  -  The federal government in Thursday’s National Assembly session expressed hope about better bids for the privatization of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). “The bidding process for the privatization of the PIA will be launched afresh and now better bids are expected,” informed Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Azam Nazeer Tarar, responding to concerns raised by the members of treasury and opposition benches.

Tarar, responding to a question during the question-hour, said the earlier bidding process was conducted wherein Blue World Consortium submitted a bid of ten billion rupees against minimum expectation price of 85 billion rupees.

The highest bid offered by the Blue World Consortium was considered by the Privatization Commission Board, which was rejected.

To another question about literacy rate, Parliamentary Secretary for Federal Education and Professional Training Farah Naz Akbar said that this government is making allout efforts to achieve a hundred percent literacy rate in the Islamabad Capital Territory [ICT]. She dispelled the impression about the substantial decrease in the education budget for the current fiscal year. She said the allocation for Islamabad Model Education Institutions has been increased by 27.56 percent. The non-developmental budget has been increased by 13 percent and development budget by 69.79 percent. She informed that around 80,000 out of school children have been enrolled under Zero Out-of-School children campaign launched last year. She said that evening shift classes were started in 23 schools across different sectors of Islamabad.

Meanwhile, the Senate was informed on Thursday that a total seventeen thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight Madaris are registered with the Directorate General Religious Education. Responding to a question during Question Hour in the House this evening, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar informed that out of these Madaris, 10012 are registered in Punjab, 2416 in Sindh, 575 in Balochistan, 4005 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 445 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 199 in Islamabad Capital Territory and 86 in Gilgit Baltistan. He said 2249520 students are studying in these Madaris.

Meanwhile, a copy of “The Tax Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024” was laid before the House. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar presented the copy. The recommendations on the bill shall be sent to the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue within a period of ten days. The House has now been prorogued.