The Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCOP) approved the inclusion of 24 state-owned enterprises in the privatisation program. They instructed the Ministry of Privatisation to consult with respective ministries about the phasing of each entity.
The meeting, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, featured discussions on a phased Privatisation Programme (2024-29). The Ministry of Privatisation proposed this plan following recommendations from the PC Board.
The attendees included the privatisation minister, industries minister, the State Bank of Pakistan governor, commerce minister, finance minister, the chairman of SECP, the commerce minister, and federal secretaries from various ministries.
The CCOP decided to prioritize the privatisation of loss-making entities. It also agreed that entities generating profits would be considered for privatisation, underlining a policy to minimize federal involvement in strategic and essential state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
The CCOP reviewed 84 SOEs under the SOE Act and Policy and proposed that 40 identified as strategic or essential be presented to the Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises (CCoSOE) for further classification.
The Privatisation Programme will include any SOEs not classified as strategic or essential.
The CCOP requested the Ministry of Privatisation review the rationale behind excluding 18 SOEs from the program and requested a detailed proposal to prepare for the next CCOP meeting.
They also instructed all ministries to expedite their assessments of strategic and essential SOEs with the CCoSOE to ensure a comprehensive privatisation plan is ready for the upcoming CCOP meeting.
Additionally, the CCOP discussed OGDCL’s share transferring 322,460,900 from the Privatisation Commission’s CDC to the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division). This decision was postponed, with instructions for the Law and Justice Division to review the Sovereign Wealth Fund Act 2023 provisions related to this case and present recommendations at the next meeting.