ISLAMABAD: The government is seeking expedited outsourcing of Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi airports and implementation of other G2G-based projects worth Rs29 billion with friendly countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Azerbaijan to show the tangible output of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).

To speed up implementation, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal presided over a review meeting of the Public-Private Partnership Authority (P3A) to evaluate progress on 13 directives issued by the prime minister for the completion of key public interest projects being processed through SIFC, a civil-military forum created for the effectiveness of government functioning, particularly towards the promotion of foreign investment from friendly countries.

The minister directed the SIFC secretary to prepare a focused agenda to review the timelines of Rs29bn worth of projects signed with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and Azerbaijan. Another meeting will be called early next week to remove irritants and facilitate speedy project implementation.

To streamline inter-ministerial coordination and ensure timely implementation of projects, the minister directed the formation of a dedicated committee tasked with developing actionable timelines for the pipeline projects under P3A. `Foreign investment can be efficiently harnessed by developing bankable commercial propositions targeted at export expansion, which will significantly benefit Pakistan. The strategic mission of SIFC must be achieved in its true spirit,` the minister was quoted as saying.

Representatives from various ministries presented updates on the status of each project. The Ministry of Aviation was directed to expedite the outsourcing process for Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi airports.

A senior officer of the aviation ministry reported that the Technical Evaluation Committee of the Pakistan Airports Authority was currently evaluating bids for Islamabad airport, while due diligence reports for Lahore and Karachi airports have been submitted to P3A. Following the prime minister`s directive, the meeting was also told that the CA A had halted expansion work at Lahore airport and was in discussions with a UAE-based company, with a meeting scheduled soon for its outsourcing.-Khaleeg Kiani