This refers to the article, 'The PTV conundrum' (July 24, 2020) by Muhammad Abubakar Umar. The writer has rightly criticised the government for raising PTV's licence fee from Rs35 to Rs100, and has suggested that it can be better run on the lines of private TV channels. Any state-run organisation is prone to political influence and is turned into employment exchange irrespective of the government and PTV is no exception. Apart from the root causes mentioned by the writer, the main cause for this has been appointing non-professionals on professional jobs. You cannot employ a dental surgeon to carry out a heart surgery.
Technically speaking, charging the PTV fee is illegal, unlawful. This fee was introduced and charged when there was only one channel. There is no justification on the part of the government to charge PTV as it has lost its utility. In fact cable operators are approached by the PTA to include PTV channels while airing other channels. The government has for the time being deferred the matter, although it should altogether be withdrawn. This is the era of digital media and anybody with a smartphone can watch any TV channel in any case.
Lt Col (r) Mukhtar Ahmed Butt
Karachi