Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has said that certain TV anchors and journalists are being “forced” to shift from one TV channel to another with offers of heavy remuneration. He alleged that the funds of various government departments reserved for advertisements were being used for this purpose. Addressing a press conference at the Parliament House on Wednesday, Nisar challenged that if his allegations were false, a defamation case be filed against him in the court.
Nisar further said that in his previous press talk, he had not talked of misuse of secret funds in the Information Ministry, nor had he leveled any allegation against any official in the presidency. He said that he held the president directly responsible for favoring a particular group. He said a department had released Rs 100 million advertisement budget, and only Rs 10 million were spent for advertisement while the rest were distributed among a particular group of people. The opposition leader said that he was not blaming all the journalists but pointed out that some TV anchors were getting Rs 2 million to Rs 3 million in salary, while numerous other journalists were surviving on Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 a month. He asked the media owners to increase their salaries and implement the wage board. He also alleged that recruitments in Pakistan Television (PTV) had been politically manipulated. He further said that a particular advertising agency was involved in the whole affair, and that a case was already registered against that agency in Punjab, while its owner was hiding in Islamabad.
He also demanded an audit of the advertisements by the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) and the Utility Stores. In reply to a question, Nisar said that following his allegations, the army chief had agreed to investigate three retired army generals over their involvement in the National Logistics Cell (NLC) scam. He said the military had now decided to hold court martial proceedings against those generals.
Govt forcing TV anchors to switch channels: Nisar
