Islamabad: The government of Pakistan has decided to engage international operators to help run three major airports of the country, aiming to attract foreign direct investment and to provide world-class facilities to passengers, the Prime Minister's Office said.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to discuss the matters pertaining to the aviation sector, the office said in a statement on Friday night.

The services of the three major airports in the federal capital Islamabad, the eastern city of Lahore and the southern port city of Karachi would be outsourced, the statement said.

The services of the operators having international repute would be hired to run the three major airports in the first phase, said the statement. According to the plan, the operators would run the said entities for a period of 20 to 25 years, it added.

It said the operators would provide the services of international standards besides uplifting them through foreign investment.

(With UNI/Xinhua inputs)