Islamabad, The Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCOP), chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, convened on May 10, 2024, to outline a comprehensive Privatisation Programme for the period 2024-2029. The meeting drew key policymakers, including the Finance Minister and the Minister for Privatisation, among other significant stakeholders.

According to Press Information Department, the CCOP decided to focus on privatising loss-making entities and limiting the federal government’s involvement to strategic and essential state-owned enterprises (SOEs). This directive includes 40 SOEs to be reviewed by the Cabinet Committee on State Owned Enterprises (CCoSOE) for potential classification as strategic or essential.

Additionally, the CCOP approved 24 entities for preliminary inclusion in the Privatisation Programme, pending further phasing discussions with respective ministries. The committee also directed a review of 18 SOEs that were proposed for exclusion from privatisation, ensuring a thorough rationale for each decision.

The meeting also touched upon the transfer of shares from the Privatisation Commission to the Ministry of Energy, which was deferred for further legal review under the Sovereign Wealth Fund Act of 2023. This session underscores the government’s push for a streamlined and strategic approach to privatisation as part of broader economic reform efforts in Pakistan.