Khursheed writes to NA speaker on PTV’s ‘blackout’ of the opposition

ISLAMABAD: The state-owned Pakistan Television (PTV) imposed total blackout of the National Assembly opposition prompting the Opposition Leader Syed Khursheed Shah to write a letter to Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.

The letter said the opposition’s news coverage was ‘discriminatory, selective and biased’ and suggested that live Internet streaming of the  house proceedings may be initiated at the earliest so that all and sundry listen to the views of their representatives.

Besides writing a letter to Sadiq, the Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) also submitted an adjournment motion to the National Assembly Secretariat on the PTV’s blackout of opposition speeches.  In the letter, Shah said it was upsetting that the PTV often resorted to selective coverage of the National Assembly debates. 

He said the state-owned TV usually broadcast the government’s point of view and gave little or no coverage to the speeches of opposition benches. The opposition leader said he had highlighted this issue many a time on the floor of the House and most recently on February 16 and in response to that a meeting was convened in the speaker’s chamber on this particular matter in which Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid had assured of no such discrimination in future.

“But unfortunately things have not changed since then. Even on April 7, 2016 the PTV did total blackout of the assembly speeches of the opposition leaders when they were expressing their views on the burning issue of Panama Leaks,” the letter said.

Shah said the PTV was a national television and it must broadcast the viewpoint of all the public representatives in the House irrespective of their party affiliation. “You are the custodian of this august house and we are looking towards you to take notice of this discriminatory attitude of the PTV despite the federal minister’s assurances during that meeting,” he said.

Also, he suggested initiation of live Internet streaming of the house proceedings at the earliest so that all and sundry may be able to listen to the views of their representatives. Meanwhile, PPP MNAs Imran Zafar Laghari, Syed Naveed Qamar, Mir Aijaz Jakhrani, Nawab Ali Wassan and Ms. Shagufta Jummani submitted an adjournment motion to the National Assembly Secretariat seeking debate on the blackout of opposition speeches by the PTV.

Through their adjournment motion, the PPP Parliamentarians legislators demanded that the house proceedings be adjourned to discuss the selective telecast of the proceedings of the National Assembly session of April 7 by the PTV. “Total blackout was observed during the speeches of opposition parties’ leaders pertaining to the most important matter facing the country at present,” the adjournment motion stated.