NA panel bars PTV MD from sitting in office, using powers till next meeting

ISLAMABAD, March 12 (APP):National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting Tuesday expressed displeasure over the absence of Pakistan Television (PTV) Managing Director (MD) Arshad Khan in the meeting.
The meeting was held here at the PTV headquarters in which Arshad Khan was supposed to give a comprehensive briefing on the working and performance of the state television.
The committee, chaired by Javed Latif, said it was ironic that many members of the committee had come from various parts of the country for attending this meeting but PTV MD could not attend it despite the meeting was being held in its headquarters.
The committee unanimously decided that till the next meeting of the committee, he neither should be allowed to sit in his office, nor allow to use the powers as MD.
The committee said he should come in person in the next meeting and clear his position.
The committee, in this regard, issued directives to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and directed to ensure their implementation in letter and spirit.
Giving its observation regarding PTV MD’s absence from his duty since last 38 days, the committee said he should be accountable for the said period salary as it was the tax payers money and could not be doled out to anyone.
The committee also observed that during Pak-India tension, the national broadcaster could not fulfill its responsibilities accordingly due to his absence from the duty.
The committee also said the appointment of acting PTV MD was also against the law and Supreme Court directives in Ataul Haq Qasmi case.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain told the panel that since last 38 days, the PTV MD did not come to his office and even today he could not attend the committee meeting adding no institution could be run in this manner.
He said the post of regular PTV MD had been advertised and in this regard, 42 applications had been received and the acting MD had not applied for the position.
He said presently the PTV Board was not functional as it had no chairman. He said the PTV was suffering from Rs5.8 billion loss per year but the MD got his salary package worth Rs2.5 million from the Board of Directors whereas the corporation had no money to salaries and pension of the employees on time.
Briefing the committee over the government plan to set up a new regulatory authority for all types of media, namely Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (PMRA), the minister said the new body would be established with consensus with all all stakeholders which would be free from government intervention.
He told the committee that presently Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority was regulating electronic media, while Press Council of Pakistan was looking after print media and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority was responsible for regulation of digital media.
He said with advancements in technology, all media had converged in cellular mobile phone set and there was a need to constitute an authority which could regulate all media simultaneously.
He informed that he had held meetings with political leaders to discuss the formation of new media regulatory authority and copies of the concept paper of the PMRA had also been shared with media houses for their input.
Elaborating the objective of formation of new media regulatory authority, he said presently print media workers were provided protection under the laws but there were no rules and regulations for protection of electronic media workers rights.
Moreover, he said the proprietors of the media houses also face problems as they had to go to different regulatory authorities for various media and one authority would definitely benefit them. 
He said media in Pakistan enjoyed more freedom than many countries of the world and the incumbent government, believing in freedom of expression, did not want to impose any curbs on the free media.
The minister said advertisements were shifting from news channels to digital sites like Facebook and Twitter and last year over Rs7 billion advertisement went to silicone valley and it was expected that in next five to seven years, the advertisements going to digital media would catch up the regular media.
He said there was need to regulate this drain of foreign exchange, as the amount earned by the foreign websites was sent abroad.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Seyd Aminul Haq, Aftab,Syed Nadeem, Naz Baloch, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Usam Tarakai, Nadeem Ababs, Tahir Iqbal, Maiza Hameed, JAveria Zafar Aaheer, Aftab Jehangir.
Information and Broadcasting Secretary Shafqat Jalil, PEMRA Chiarman Saleem Baig and senior officials from the ministry and attached departments were also present.