Pakistan plans up to $5 billion joint venture to redevelop Roosevelt Hotel in New York

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2628089/pakistan

The hotel, a century-old Manhattan property owned by Pakistan International Airlines, has been closed since 2020
The PM’s privatization adviser says the plan will boost the value of Pakistan’s stake even as its ownership share falls


KARACHI: Pakistan plans to redevelop its Roosevelt Hotel in New York into a high-rise building through a joint venture (JV) that could involve up to $5 billion in equity and debt financing, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s aide on privatization Muhammad Ali told Arab News on Friday.

The hotel, a century-old Manhattan property near Grand Central Terminal and Times Square, is one of Pakistan’s most valuable overseas assets and is owned by the state through Pakistan International Airlines.

Closed since 2020 due to losses, the hotel has been under review for years as successive governments have weighed whether to sell, lease or redevelop it while pursuing state-owned enterprise reforms linked to International Monetary Fund bailouts.

“The redevelopment project would require up to $5 billion equity and debt capital,” said Ali, who also chairs the Privatization Commission of Pakistan.

Ali said the government had decided against an outright sale of the property after a detailed study conducted last year showed the site could support a significantly larger structure, potentially rising to 60 stories.

“The redevelopment under the JV privatization model is expected to increase value of the property and thus Pakistan’s stake by more than 200 percent [in terms of value],” he continued.

Under the proposed joint venture structure, the government would contribute the land while a private partner would inject equity, with the remaining financing raised through debt, Ali said

He added that that while Pakistan’s economic interest in the project would rise, its ownership share would be reduced to about 50 percent once the transaction is completed.

He said a range of international players, including commercial banks and technology firms, had expressed interest in developing their own premises at the site, though he declined to identify potential partners.

Ownership of the hotel was recently transferred to PIA Holding Company Limited, the parent company of Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Limited, which the government privatized last month, with the airline now owned by a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group.

ADVISER RESIGNATION

Pakistan’s plans for the Roosevelt Hotel have faced repeated delays in recent years as authorities weighed competing options, including demolition, amid shifts in government policy.

On Dec. 24, a day after the PIA privatization, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the government was working on structuring a transaction for the New York property.

Meanwhile, a privatization ministry official said on condition of anonymity that the country’s financial adviser for the hotel’s sale, Jones Lang LaSalle Americas Inc. (JLL), has resigned due to a “conflict of interest.”

The official said JLL stepped down after the transaction structure was approved by the federal cabinet and the Competition Commission of Pakistan in July.

“The Privatization Commission will finalize the new adviser in the next four to six weeks,” he said, adding that expressions of interest will be issued after the new appointment is made.

Asked about the development, Ali said the new adviser would engage with potential joint venture partners on behalf of the government.

Pakistan launches privatization process for five power distributors under IMF reforms

https://www.arabnews.pk/node/2628327/pakistan

Power-sector losses have pushed circular debt above $9 billion, official documents show
Move is tied to IMF and World Bank conditions aimed at cutting subsidies and fiscal risk
KARACHI: Pakistan has appointed financial advisers and launched sell-side due diligence for the privatization of five electricity distribution companies, marking a long-awaited step in power-sector reforms tied to International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank programs, according to official documents shared with media on Monday.

The five companies, namely Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO), Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO), Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (HESCO) and Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO), supply electricity to tens of millions of customers and have long been a major source of financial losses for the state.

Pakistan’s power sector has accumulated more than Rs2.6 trillion (about $9.3 billion) in circular debt as of mid-2025, driven largely by distribution losses, electricity theft and weak bill recovery, according to official government data cited in the documents. The shortfall has repeatedly forced the government to provide subsidies, adding pressure to public finances in an economy under IMF supervision.

“The objective is to reduce losses, improve efficiency and limit the government’s fiscal exposure by transferring electricity distribution operations to the private sector,” the documents said, adding that sell-side due diligence for five distribution companies is under way as a prerequisite for investor engagement.

Two utilities, the Quetta Electric Supply Company and Tribal Areas Electric Supply Company, are excluded from the current privatization phase due to security and structural constraints, the documents said.

Power-sector reform is a central pillar of Pakistan’s IMF bailout program, under which Islamabad has committed to restructuring state-owned enterprises, improving governance and reducing budgetary support. The World Bank has also linked future energy-sector financing to progress on structural reforms.

Electricity distribution companies in Pakistan routinely report losses exceeding 20 percent of supplied power, far above international benchmarks, according to official figures. These inefficiencies have been a persistent obstacle to economic growth, investment and reliable power supply.

Previous attempts to privatize power distributors have stalled amid political resistance, labor union opposition and concerns over tariff increases. While officials have not announced a timeline for completing transactions, the launch of due diligence marks the most concrete step taken in years. International lenders and investors will now be closely watching whether Pakistan can translate this phase into completed sales, a key test of its ability to deliver on IMF-backed reforms.

In a related development in Pakistan’s privatization agenda, the government last month concluded the long-delayed sale of a 75 percent stake in national flag carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in a publicly televised auction. A consortium led by the Arif Habib Group emerged as the highest bidder with a Rs135 billion ($482 million) offer for the controlling stake, in a transaction officials have said will end decades of state-funded bailouts and inject fresh capital into the loss-making airline.

Fund backs sale of national airline as key step in divesting loss-making state firms

IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce fiscal burden posed by state-owned entities

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2628901/pakistan


KARACHI: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Saturday welcomed Pakistan’s privatization efforts, describing the sale of the country’s national airline to a private consortium last month as a milestone that could help advance the divestment of loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

The comments follow the government’s sale of a 75 percent stake in Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to a consortium led by the Arif Habib Group for Rs 135 billion ($486 million) after several rounds of bidding in a competitive process, marking Islamabad’s second attempt to privatize the carrier after a failed effort a year earlier.



Between the two privatization attempts, PIA resumed flight operations to several international destinations after aviation authorities in the European Union and Britain lifted restrictions nearly five years after the airline was grounded following a deadly Airbus A320 crash in Karachi in 2020 that killed 97 people.

“We welcome the authorities’ privatization efforts and the completion of the PIA privatization process, which was a commitment under the EFF,” Mahir Binici, the IMF’s resident representative in Pakistan, said in response to an Arab News query, referring to the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility.

“This privatization represents a milestone within the authorities’ reform agenda, aimed at decreasing governmental involvement in commercial sectors and attracting investments to promote economic growth in Pakistan,” he added.

The IMF has long urged Islamabad to reduce the fiscal burden posed by loss-making state firms, which have weighed public finances for years and required repeated government bailouts. Beyond PIA, the government has signaled plans to restructure or sell stakes in additional SOEs as part of broader reforms under the IMF program.

Privatization also remains politically sensitive in Pakistan, with critics warning of job losses and concerns over national assets, while supporters argue private sector management could improve efficiency and service delivery in chronically underperforming entities.

Pakistan’s Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises said on Friday that SOEs recorded a net loss of Rs 122.9 billion ($442 million) in the 2024–25 fiscal year, compared with a net loss of Rs 30.6 billion ($110 million) in the previous year.