Overview
- The government says a consortium featuring Arif Habib interests and Fauji Fertilizer Company secured 75% of PIA with the top bid of 135 billion rupees in a bidding process it described as transparent.
- PIA announced UK network growth with London flights slated from March using four weekly slots, while Islamabad–Manchester service returns after five years with the first departure on Thursday.
- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf publicly turned down Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s offer of dialogue, with spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram stating the party will not enter talks under government-set conditions.
- On Quaid-e-Azam’s 149th birthday, nationwide ceremonies highlighted constitutional values as the prime minister pledged full legal action against injustices toward religious minorities and Punjab’s chief minister exempted Sikhs from the motorcycle helmet rule and expanded minority ID cards to 100,000.
- Sindh officials reported an NCCIA-led raid on Dec. 18 on a Karachi call centre accused of roughly $60 million in fraud, arresting 15 foreign nationals and 19 Pakistanis and seizing 37 computers, 40 phones and over 10,000 SIMs.