Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has doubled down on his plans to buy the Pakistan International Airlines.

Gandapur said that the province currently possesses two helicopters and expressed the government’s determination to acquire Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), stating they would “go to any length” to achieve this goal.

He emphasized that if the acquisition proceeds, the airline would retain the PIA name.

Gandapur further alleged that the Sharif family is attempting to secretly purchase the airline, claiming, “The cat is out of the bag.” He highlighted the province’s strong financial position, asserting that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has a surplus budget and 100% revenue collection.

Looking ahead, the Chief Minister announced a major gathering in Swabi on November 9th. He stated that a resolution will be passed at this meeting, followed by an announcement of the province’s future course of action regarding PIA. He concluded by stating that this would be a decisive, one-time action.

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Punjab’s Minister for Information and Broadcasting Azma Bukhari has denied any intention by the provincial government to purchase Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). She clarified that only Air Punjab was discussed in negotiations.

Bukhari questioned the feasibility of a debt-ridden province like KP acquiring PIA, stating, “It’s strange that a province burdened with billions of rupees in debt wants to buy PIA. PIA operates airplanes; we’re not talking about other things. You can’t even pay other institutions.”

Furthermore, Bukhari stated that the Punjab government is actively working to control smog, noting that Lahore currently ranks second among the most polluted cities, with Delhi in first place.