The provincial government has paid Rs 3.33 million to press clubs and various journalists to keep the media persons happy. Budget documents show that Punjab government has paid Rs 1.75 million to Multan and Lahore press clubs on account of annual grant and the rest is issued to a number of journalists.
Official figures reveal that the government has paid Rs 50,000 to Faisalabad Fori Action Chief Editor Asrar Ahmad Khan Sherwani, Rs 100,000 each to Lahore Press Club life member Din Muhammad Dard and daily Din Columnist Muhammad Ali Arif, Rs 200,000 to daily Ausaf Editor Faisal Khan Durrani, Rs 1 million to the bereaved family of Geo News Reporter Wali Khan Babar, Rs 200,000 to writer A Hameed, Rs 400,000 to daily Nawa-i-Wqat Columnist Khawaja Abdul Hakeem, Amna Kanwal W/O Saqib Jageeri (late), Sarfraz Kashir Butt, Daily Milap International Chief Editor Mumtaz Ahmed Saddozai, Rs 50,000 to senior journalist Syed Fasahat Hussain and Rs 156,000 to Dunya News Lahore Senior Assignment Editor Aziz Ahmad.
Punjab spent Rs 72m extra on publicity, public relations: The Punjab government has spent Rs 72.11 million on publicity and public relations over and above the budget allocations during the current financial year 2010-11. Budget documents indicate that the provincial government has spent Rs 5.16 million on its media consultants despite the fact that the government has employed an army of media professionals in the Punjab Directorate of Publication Relations.
Supplementary Budget Statement 2010-11 reveals that the provincial government has spent Rs 47.2 million as excess expenditures related to publicity while Rs 17.48 million has been washed away in clearance of publicity related bills to various print and electronic media outlets. Official documents show that Punjab government issued Rs 2.22 million to the director general public relations (DGPR) for miscellaneous payments. In addition, Rs 50,000 has been released for the purchase of new Blackberry handset for the DGPR.
