Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) hotel in Larkana has been under the occupancy of Sindh government for over 25 years, a recent report has revealed.
According to the report, the Sambara Inn Hotel of Larkana has been operating under the Sindh Tourism Department for over two decades but PIA’s previous managements never asked to take control of the property.
However, the incumbent command of the airline has decided to take back the operational control of the hotel and has started taking steps in this regard.
The Chief Executive Officer of PIA, Air Marshal Arshad Malik, has decided to reach out to the federal and provincial governments to sort out the matter.
Last week, Air Marshal Arshad Malik, informed the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Aviation that PIA had built the lavish hotel in 1974 on five acres. It has 46 luxury rooms and cost a whopping Rs. 9.8 million back in the day.
He said that in 1994, the then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had handed it to the provincial tourism department.
But, due to mismanagement from the Sindh government, the hotel is now in bad shape, and the PIA management is sincere in taking back its control.
Arshad Malik said that the airline has the legal rights to the hotel and that they were going to request the federal government to intervene.
On the other hand, the airline’s spokesperson Mashood Tajwar told a local newspaper that PIA has raised the issue with Sindh government but hasn’t heard back from them.
The Director-General of Sindh Tourism Department, Roshan Ali, was unavailable to comment on the mater.