Cabinet defers PTV fees hike after ministers’ objections

ISLAMABAD: After raising of objections by some ministers, the federal cabinet Tuesday deferred a proposal to increase the PTV fee from Rs35 to Rs100, and a decision to this effect would now be taken in its next meeting.

Sources said at least three cabinet members opposed the fee hike without taking people into confidence on the issue. Information and Broadcasting Minister Senator Shibli Faraz later informed the media about the decisions taken by the federal cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The minister said the fee increase proposal was discussed in the meeting in view of financial issues, gripping the state-run PTV. He said PTV was facing problems in payment of pension to its 3,000 pensioners, as the previous governments had brought the PTV to the verge of collapse, having a glorious past and the incumbent government wanted to revive its past glory.

He said the PTV, like other national institutions, including Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were ruined by the previous governments by the appointment of cronies in utter disregard to merit to these institutions.

The minister noted that restructuring of PTV had been approved but funds were needed to replace its obsolete equipment while the process of production had been almost halted as well. About the poor state of affairs of the state-owned Pakistan Television, he said that the television had lost its importance and none was ready to join it, thinking it as a stigma. But he claimed to turn the PTV around within one-two years and top anchors would be watched on it.