By Asim Hussain
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Thursday informed the National Assembly that the government had so far paid 50 percent outstanding amount of media houses and the remaining payment would be cleared in next week. During the question hour, he said there were three kind of bills which included the tenures of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and two-year of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
“Of last two years, there was an outstanding amount of Rs 1.15 billion, out of which first installment containing 50 percent payment has already been made, while remaining 50 percent will be finalized and cleared in next week, hopefully,†he said. The minister said all ministries concerned, against whom the amounts were pending, had been instructed to clear the outstanding amount of media houses.
Answering a supplementary question, Shibli Faraz said the Information Ministry was in the process of formulating an effective mechanism to look into the matters of regional and other newspapers, which were getting advertisements but not in publication or operating with limited publications. “The mechanism will be shared with the standing committees concerned and the Parliament soon.â€
To another question about Pakistan Television, the minister said the incumbent government did not make even a single appointment in the national television, except changing its top management which was inducted on political basis during the past regimes. The number of such a managerial staff was around 2000-2500, who managed to get in the PTV on political basis despite having no required qualification and without following the set procedure.
Shibli Faraz regretted that the national institution was politicized by the previous governments, like they ruined Pakistan International Airlines and Pakistan Steel Mills. He said the new management had been given the task to transform the PTV, under a business plan and road map to revive the institution that was facing severe financial problems.
