I have no control over YBM: Firdous

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Friday said the Managing Director of Pakistan Television (PTV), Yousuf Baig Mirza, was not under her control and all members of the National Assembly had complaints against him.
She said this while replying to a supplementary question in the National assembly about the steps taken by the government for improving PTV’s performance. “The entire Lower House has complaints against the PTV MD and he is not under my control,” Firdous said.
Hearing the reply, the NA deputy speaker said if the minister was helpless, then the prime minister should reply. Upon this, the prime minister addressed the minister for information and broadcasting, saying, “She is head of the ministry and she has the full authority to run the affairs of the PTV. I have never interfered in the affairs of the ministry and being the minister, she should assert her authority. If she has any particular problem in this regard, she can share with me privately,” Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said.
Moreover, a source in the PTV said the Supreme Court had ordered in November 2010 to regularise 472 employees of the PTV, but only 26 had been regularised. According to the source, there were differences between the minister and the PTV MD over the regularisation of employees.
Firdous told the NA that PTV would launch a sports channel by December on the directive of the president and prime minister to promote sports activities in the country. She said PTV would be digitalised and equipped with latest technology to enable it to compete with other private channels. The minister the perception about the PTV being the government’s mouth piece had completely changed, as it was giving equal coverage to opposition parties.