Govt shelves plan of Roosevelt Hotel privatization

By Ali Imran

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to shelve a plan of privatization of the Roosevelt Hotel, sources said on Sunday. The government has decided to keep the legally questionable decision of privatization of Roosevelt Hotel New York on back burner after it was advised by legal adviser to stay away from the controversial plan, sources said. Roosevelt Hotel, located in the heart of global commercial hub, is owned by the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).
A senior legal adviser of the government in an opinion has opposed the plan of joint venture and lease of the precious real estate. “The Supreme Court will likely to take notice of the decision,†the legal adviser said. “The case of appointment of the PIA CEO was already being heard in the court of the chief justice.
The government could face further embarrassment in the court over the Roosevelt Hotel issue,†according to the opinion of the legal adviser. It is to be mentioned here that government had already dissolved a body few days ago, which was established earlier for privatization of the Roosevelt Hotel. It is to be mentioned here that successive government, had tried to sell or give the hotel on lease but failed to implement the decision.