ISLAMABAD: Illegal recruitments and financial irregularities worth tens of millions of rupees have appeared in the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) during the previous caretaker government, sources revealed with documentary proofs.
The PTV management under the former caretaker information minister Murtaza Solangi made recruitments by misusing powers. According to proof claimed by the local Daily Mumtaz, a junior officer who facilitated the ill-doings was appointed to three posts simultaneously.
During the elections, surprisingly an amount of over 20 million rupees were given against transportation and lodging, 4.8 million rupees for food only while tens of millions of rupees were given to the persons hired for anchoring during the election transmission.
According to the available documentary evidence, the former caretaker information minister made illegal recruitments in PTV through the nexus of the management, especially women anchors on huge remuneration. In this process of illegal recruitment and irregularities, a junior officer Chaudhary Saleem was one of the facilitators and was hand in glove with all affairs of misuse of power and he was posted to two posts as GM-PTV News Controller Current Affairs and Director Current Affairs.
The main purpose of posting an officer to two posts was allegedly looting and tampering with Action Transmission.
During the time, tens of millions of rupees were paid low grade and unrequired persons as anchors or so-called experts.
From 10,000 to 60,000 rupees per program were paid to invite experts for each program which was unprecedented in the past, some recruitments were also made that were not needed. Days before the end of the caretaker period, two cheques were issued to two anchors making these the first post-dated checks in the 60-year history of PTV.
Two anchors in Lahore Center were given a package of around one million rupees per month, while according to PTV rules no anchor person can be hired for more than 350,000 rupees monthly package.
During the election coverage, the transmission of PTV Global was suspended which brought the country into disrepute all over the world.
A big damage was done to the national TV channel when it was deliberately not allowed to participate in the bidding for the PSL rights.
Reports said attempts were made to contact Solangi to find out his position on these irregularities and left a message on his mobile phone but he did not respond. When MD PTV Mubashir Tauqeer was contacted, on his instructions, the spokesperson of PTV, giving his stand on this news, said that in all the recruitments, professional abilities and merit were taken into consideration, and some appointments were made temporarily as per the need. As far as one officer is concerned with the charge of two posts, the administration had decided to do so temporarily, soon the permanent appointment will be implemented, the spokesman said.
The spokesperson said that the remuneration for participation in the programs was fixed when these anchors were hired. Explaining the expenses incurred on the occasion of the February 8 election transmission, including transportation, boarding, lodging, and food expenses, the spokesman said that all the employees involved in the transmission of PTV News Center were participating in this process.
Food was arranged for them, the administration saved 52% of the proposed budget and MD PTV Mubashir Tauqeer tried in every possible way to minimize the expenses. The spokesman said that, however, in the light of the checks issued regarding the financial irregularities of crores in the government TV, if any complaint is reported, it will be investigated transparently.
Several quarters in the PTV had demanded a high-level inquiry into the allegations.
Note: If anyone from PTV wants to present its stance on the issue, pages of China Urdu are always open. ENDS
PTV incurred huge financial embezzlement under caretaker setup, inquiry demanded
