On May 21, the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting lauded state media, especially Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV), for effectively countering misleading propaganda by Indian media during recent tensions and for delivering factual information to the public.
Chaired by Senator Syed Ali Zafar, the committee also congratulated Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar and Secretary Ambreen Jan for their commendable performance, according to a press release issued after the meeting.
Addressing concerns over media coverage, Senator Zafar demanded that speeches from opposition parliamentarians be broadcast without censorship. Responding to this, Secretary Information and Broadcasting acknowledged that PTVC currently lacks written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the live transmission of parliamentarians’ speeches.
“The PTV logo appeared on the screen the moment I began speaking. Earlier, the ministry claimed this was due to a technical glitch, but recurring incidents suggest deliberate censorship,” Senator Zafar remarked.
The committee also raised concerns regarding delays in payment of salaries and pensions for employees of Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation. Senator Irfan Siddiqui pointed out a discrepancy, noting that while employees receive salaries according to the 2023 pay and pension scales, “their taxes are being deducted as per 2024 criteria.” Officials attributed the lack of salary increments to the Finance Division’s withholding of approval amid budget constraints.
The committee decided to take up the issue of salary and pension payments with the Finance Division at its next session.
In her briefing, Secretary Ambreen Jan outlined PTV’s mission to educate and inform the public while safeguarding Pakistan’s national interests and cultural values. She said PTV operates nine channels across seven centers nationwide.
On the financial side, Secretary Jan stated that PTV collects approximately Rs10.2 billion annually through a television fee charged via electricity bills and generates an additional Rs3 billion from advertisements and sponsorships. However, she noted that nearly Rs9 billion of this revenue is consumed by salaries for its current workforce of 4,201 employees. Efforts are underway to digitize operations and enhance revenue generation.
Officials also provided information on government advertisements distributed to various media outlets since the current administration assumed office, promising full disclosure of advertisement allocations after the close of the fiscal year.
Senator Aon Abbas raised questions regarding cases registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). Secretary Ambreen Jan informed the committee that this matter falls under the Interior Ministry’s jurisdiction and assured that relevant details would be provided in the upcoming meeting.
The session was attended by Senators Irfan ul Haque Siddiqui, Pervaiz Rashid, Sarmad Ali, Aon Abbas, Jan Muhammad, Faisal Vawda, Secretary Ambreen Jan, and other senior officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
