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Pakistan’s tax body to unfreeze PIA's accounts 'soon', says national flag carrier

Pakistan International Airline (PIA) planes are positioned on the tarmac at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport in Islamabad on October 10, 2012. (AFP/ File)
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Updated 27 July 2023
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Pakistan’s tax body to unfreeze PIA's accounts 'soon', says national flag carrier

  • PIA accounts were frozen by Federal Board of Revenue on Tuesday over non-payment of Rs2.8 billion in taxes
  • National airline has been grappling with financial challenges, exacerbated by a suspension of its flights to Europe
Updated 27 July 2023
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: Pakistan's national flag carrier said on Thursday its bank accounts would be unfrozen "soon," adding that its talks with the country's top tax body, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) over non-payment of taxes had concluded successfully. 

The national airline's spokesperson confirmed earlier today, Thursday, that FBR had frozen Pakistan International Airlines' (PIA) bank accounts on Tuesday due to non-payment of taxes. This is the third time the FBR has frozen the airline’s bank accounts, with previous incidents occurring in February this year and January of last year.

PIA has been grappling with financial challenges, exacerbated by a decrease in international routes due to a suspension of its flights to European countries in recent years.

“The matters between the PIA and the FBR have been resolved," PIA spokesperson Abdulah Khan said in a statement on Thursday. "The bank accounts will be restored soon after necessary paperwork.”

Speaking to Arab News earlier during the day, Khan said the country’s tax body believed the airline owed Rs2.8 billion in unpaid taxes, while PIA officials thought the amount was much less and stood at Rs1.3 billion.

Despite the freezing of its accounts, Khan dismissed reports that the action had led to a suspension of flights.

In an attempt to alleviate the financial distress of the national flag carrier, the government approved a bailout package of Rs. 44 billion in September 2021.

PIA has been grappling with a flight ban imposed by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Commission. The ban came into effect after the May 2020 air crash in Karachi, which was attributed to licensing problems within the airline by one of the country’s former aviation ministers.

The EASA spokesperson recently said constructive discussions were ongoing with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority regarding the flight ban.

“EASA and the European Commission are in constructive dialogue with the Pakistan CAA. A visit to Pakistan by an EASA team will depend on the progress of those discussions,” an EASA spokesperson said in a written response to Arab News earlier this week.

The FBR spokesperson could not be reached for a statement about the development.

Topics: PIA accounts Federal Board of Revenue Pakistan International Airlines

Turkmenistan aiming to diversify gas exports to Pakistan, India, other nations — ex-president

Updated 22 February 2026
Reuters
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Turkmenistan aiming to diversify gas exports to Pakistan, India, other nations — ex-president

  • Turkmenistan’s gas exports have been limited by a lack of pipeline infrastructure and most of the gas it sells overseas goes to China
  • Gurbanguly ‌Berdymukhamedov says global firms welcome to participate in project to carry Turkmenistan’s gas to energy-hungry South Asia
Updated 22 February 2026
Reuters

ASHGABAT: Former Turkmen President Gurbanguly ‌Berdymukhamedov said that his country’s “primary goal” was to diversify exports of its enormous gas reserves, the world’s fourth ​largest, according to the transcript of an interview published on Sunday.

A mostly desert country of around 7 million, Turkmenistan’s gas exports have been limited by a lack of pipeline infrastructure. Most of the gas it sells overseas goes to China.

Berdymukhamedov served as president from 2007 ‌to 2022, when he ‌stepped down in favor ​of ‌his ⁠son, ​Serdar. He ⁠remains influential as Turkmenistan’s “National Leader.”

In an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya published by Turkmen state media, Berdymukhamedov said that international companies were welcome to participate in the TAPI pipeline project, which would carry the country’s gas to energy-hungry markets in ⁠Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India.

Turkmenistan says it ‌will finish the first ‌leg of the pipeline, to the ​Afghan city of ‌Herat, around the end of 2026. No plans ‌have been announced to extend the pipeline further south.

The project, which Berdymukhamedov said is backed by the United States, would have to overcome longstanding tensions between Afghanistan, Pakistan, ‌and India, with bouts of lethal fighting breaking out on the countries’ ⁠shared borders ⁠in the past year.

Berdymukhamedov also said that Turkmenistan supports the proposed Trans-Caspian Pipeline, which would carry the country’s gas to Europe via the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Turkiye, but that issues with Azerbaijan around the delimitation of the Caspian seabed must be solved before work can begin.

The former president was speaking during a visit to the US, which has in recent months courted ​the countries of Central ​Asia, where Russia and China have traditionally enjoyed primacy.

Topics: Turkmenistan Gas pipeline

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