Senator Buppi Slams PIA Sale Price and Firewall Investments

Senator Aon Abbas Buppi has raised serious concerns regarding the privatization of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which was recently sold for only 10 billion rupees. The Senator highlighted that while the national carrier was offloaded at a remarkably low price, the government simultaneously spent significantly higher amounts on digital infrastructure that has failed to deliver results.

Massive Firewall Spending

According to a post on the senator’s X account, the government spent nearly 40 billion rupees on an internet firewall system that has allegedly become dysfunctional. This investment, four times the amount received from the PIA sale, was intended to regulate traffic but has instead led to widespread connectivity issues across the nation.

IT Sector Losses

The Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) reports that these internet disruptions and VPN restrictions have caused a staggering loss of approximately 300 million dollars to the local IT sector. Senator Buppi emphasized that the destruction of IT businesses is a direct consequence of these poorly implemented digital policies and technical failures.

Accountability and Crisis

The combination of a low-value airline sale and a high-cost failing firewall has sparked a debate on economic mismanagement. Senator Buppi noted that there is currently no accountability for the massive financial losses incurred by the state or the subsequent damage to Pakistan’s growing digital economy and international reputation.