PTV falls, its employees rise: MD

ISLAMABAD: PTV MD Muhammad Malick has told a parliamentary committee that the state television is in pain but no one working in it is in pain.
He said the state institution gets Rs6 billion through electricity bills of which Rs5.25b is spent on salaries and Rs40 million on medical bills. He said the institution faces Rs600 million deficit and is taking Rs2 billion loan.
Malick said many buildings of the state TV have been mortgaged and annual confidential reports of all of its 6,000 employees are “outstanding”. Senator Kamil Ali Aga presided over meeting of the Senate Committee on Information. Information Minister Parvaiz Rashid, Information Secretary Muhammad Azam and other senior officers attended the meeting.
Malick said he fails to understand if all 6000 employees of the institution are giving “outstanding” performance, why the institution is in deficit. He said if he had power, he would fire 4990 of five thousand officials. He said officers in the PTV have no ability to check their emails and it is running at the mercy of Allah.
He said a centre has 70 producers and it produces programmes of two hours. He said a mafia is at work in the institution. “There is a strange culture there. The one who is promoted and the one who is not both go to court,” he said. He said 80 officials have been fired for carrying fake degrees.
The MD said PTV was devastated in the last 9-10 years but now things are coming under control. He said merit and transparency have been ensured and Rs2.5 billion repaid. He said procurement is being centralised through computerisation of the system. He said the institution is short of funds. Taliban blow up rebroadcast in Fata every second day and millions of rupees are spent on its restoration. He said he would improve the situation and ensure merit and transparency.
Senator Farukh Aqil told the committee that officials of Peshawar studio decorated the office with banners and arranged Khatak dance when the parliamentary committee visited the studio to inspect its poor condition. He said at the same time, they cry of poor condition and arrange Khatak dances. Information Minister Parvaiz Rashid shared a joke to cap the discussion.