State-run TV pays Rs 7.22 bn as salary to its 5,000 employees, PAC told

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information on Wednesday revealed before the Sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the state owned television paid Rs7.22 billion as salary to its more than 5,000 employees while it stood at the 18th number in rating and it earned the revenue according to its rating.

The sub-committee of the PAC held its meeting on Wednesday under its Convener Shafqat Mehmood in which the performance of the state-owned TV was examined. Though initially the performance of the state-owned TV was supposed to examine in the meeting, the issue of ex-chairman Attaul Haq Qasmi was remained in focus in the meeting.

The sub-committee of the PAC questioned about the media reports regarding the salary of state-run TV Chairman Attaul Haq Qasmi, the Information Secretary denied the media reports saying that the Chief Justice has taken a suo moto notice on the media reports about salary of Attaul Haq Qasmi and the record has been provided to the Supreme Court. “But the reports that were appeared in the electronic and print media were not correct as he was not getting such a salary which appeared in the media,” he told the committee.

The Secretary Ministry of Information told the sub-committee that state-run TV former chairman Dr Shahid Masood was receiving Rs850,000 as a monthly salary during the previous government tenure while Attaul Haq Qasmi was receiving a salary of Rs 1.5 million monthly and its tax on the salary was paid by the state-run TV, received TA/DA and medical allowance as per of MP-1 scale. Rs355,000 was technical allowance while traveling allowance was of Rs1 million.

The Secretary Ministry of Information said so far in the shape of salary Rs 48.2 million had been paid to Attaul Haq Qasmi. The Sub-committee questioned whether the traveling allowance only within the country or it also included foreign visits. The officials of the Information Ministry replied that it was only for inside the country and besides it he was using three cars also.

PAC member Dr Arif Alvi questioned how many cars allowed for MP-1 scale. The audit officials replied that under the rules, the officials under the MP-1 scale were allowed to have a single car.

The Secretary Ministry of Information while responding another question from the sub-committee of the PAC told the committee that Attaul Haq Qasmi also held a programme on PTV and for the promotion of programme Rs60 million were spent on its promotion advertisement.

When members of the Sub-committee of the PAC questioned about the revenue generation from the programme of Attaul Haq Qasmi then Secretary Information did not able to give answer. The sub-committee of the PAC sought a detailed report on the payments made to Attaul Haq Qasmi.

While examining the performance of the PTV, it was informed to the committee that Pakistan Television paid Rs7.22 billion as salary to its more than 5,000 employees while it stood at the 18th number in rating and it earned the revenue according to its rating.

The members of Sub-committee of the PAC remarked that having a major network in the country, the state-run TV has a good foot prints in comparison with other private TV channels and even in the rural areas, it was still have a major viewership then how its revenues were reducing. The Secretary Information told the committee that the revenue have a link with rating and the state-run TV stood at 18th in the rating and generated the revenues on the basis of its rating.