Govt decides against selling off PIA-owned hotel in New York, to run it through joint venture.

Byline: Tahir Sherani and Sanaullah Khan

The Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) on Thursday decided against privatising the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, owned by the embattled Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), and to run it through a joint venture instead.

A meeting of the committee was chaired by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh to review the one-point agenda of the privatisation of Roosevelt Hotel, owned by PIA Investment Limited in the Manhattan borough of New York City.

According to a Finance Division statement, the CCoP directed the Privatisation Commission to hire the services of a financial adviser to start the process for the transaction in light of a report by accounting firm Deloitte from July 2019 which recommended that 'the highest and best use of the Roosevelt Hotel property is to redevelop the site into a mixed-use [property] (through joint venture) of primarily an office tower over retail and condominium.'

Adviser to PM on Finance Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh chairs a CCoP meeting in Islamabad on Thursday. - Photo: Finance Division

The meeting was informed that Deloitte would update its study on the hotel transaction in the next four weeks and the same will be shared with the CCoP.

Additionally, "as requested by the Aviation Division", the CCoP also decided to de-notify a task force formed last year to develop a business plan and for framing the terms of reference for leasing the Roosevelt's site and setting up a joint venture project, the press release added.

The task force, whose formulation was approved by the CCoP in its meeting in November last year, was chaired by Minister for Privatisation Muhammad Mian Soomro and included Special Assistant to the Prime...