The two premier state-owned institutions, Pakistan International Airline Cooperation Limited (PIACL) and Pakistan Television Cooperation (PTV) are at loggerhead over non-payment of taxes on sponsored tickets issued on the instructions of former federal minister for information Marriyum Aurangzeb.
Sources told Pakistan Today that PIA had sponsored around 100 tickets to showbiz celebrities and other staff of PTV to attend a showbiz programme four months ago. Later, PIA administration asked the PTV authorities to pay the tax on these sponsored tickets but PTV high-ups are not paying heed to this matter.
PIA documents suggest three months have lapsed but the amount is outstanding. Mainly the approval of competent authority has not so far been received for further processing and for audit purposes.
Sources said that the amount is around Rs0.6 million and reminders have been issued to the ministry of information but no response has been received so far.
The documents further stated that Adnan Siddiqi, Ahsan Khan, Angeline Malik, Arshad Mehmood, Asadul Haq, Ayesha Toor, Fazila Qazi, Kaiser Khan, Hira Tareen, Aijaz Aslam, Rubina Arshaf, Maria Wasti, Veena, Malik, Behroz SAbzwari, Saira Kazmi, Saba Hameed, Nadia Khan, Faizan Uddin, Rashad Naz, Adeel Hussain, Syed Wahab Hussain and scores of other visited from Karachi to Islamabad and reciprocal basis.
Sources also said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government’s extravagant spending in PIA was the reason why PIA losses had surged to Rs50 billion on a yearly basis.
The PML-N government had made an Rs7 billion additional payment in the last five years but no output was gained, sources added.
PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar, while talking to Pakistan Today, stated that the matter is pending and finance wing of national flag carrier had told PTV authorities to clear the remaining amount.
On the other hand, PTV Deputy Managing Director (DMD) Zahoor Ahmed Barlas stated that PTV did not participate in this programme.
“We had just provided the recording facility to them and if PIA provides something substantial then we can give a reply to them,” he added.