Government seeks unified body to boost private inv...

Summary

• The federal government plans to attract greater private-sector investment in infrastructure and public services by merging two existing institutions into a single body, as limited development funding continues to restrict the country’s ability to finance major projects.
• Under the proposed legislation, the government will repeal the P3A Act, 2017, and establish a new Privatisation and Public Private Partnership Commission.
• According to the Privatisation Commission, each project will receive a dedicated team and a defined timeline, while funding arrangements for feasibility studies, viability assessments and facilitation will help address delays that frequently affect development initiatives.

AI Generated Summary

The federal government plans to attract greater private-sector investment in infrastructure and public services by merging two existing institutions into a single body, as limited development funding continues to restrict the country’s ability to finance major projects.

The Privatisation Commission (PC) said the federal development budget for the current fiscal year stands at Rs1.126 trillion, significantly below the estimated requirement of Rs4.1 trillion. Against this backdrop, the Privatisation Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026, currently under consideration by the National Assembly Standing Committee, proposes merging the Public Private Partnership Authority (P3A) with the Privatisation Commission.

Under the proposed legislation, the government will repeal the P3A Act, 2017, and establish a new Privatisation and Public Private Partnership Commission. The new institution will oversee both privatisation initiatives and public-private partnership (PPP) projects through a unified board and approval mechanism.