PTV in the red, NA told: Standing Committee criticises its 'immorality': George escorted through Pakistan: KTN's bold discussion on politics

A thought- provoking, even disturbing, news report about the PTV has appeared in the newspapers and I intend to reproduce much of it without comment. I am distracted by the headline which reads "PTV in the red despite licence fee, NA told. STN earns profit."(Keep in mind that there is so much to say on this theme). The news report said that "people paid Rs738.8 million in the last six months of 2004 as licence fee alongwith their electricity bills, the record put before the National Assembly revealed.
"Comparative revenue figures of the Shalimar Television Network (STN) and PTV showed that without getting any subsidy from the government or having the cushion of the taxes to finance its transmissions, the STN delivered profits while the PTV had its revenue records in the red during the year 2003-04.
The quote continues: "The record of PTV losses during 2003-04 was placed before the Lower House by Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in response to a question by MNA Dr Fareed Paracha. He had sought details of the revenue collected by PTV through licence fee and its total expenditure.
"The minister informed the House that total annual expenditure of PTV during 2003-04 was Rs3.1 billion, while it earned only Rs2.6 billion through licence fee and advertisements. The losses of PTV amounted to over Rs 469 million in the said period." The National Assembly was further told that the citizens paid Rs738million as TV licence fee with their electricity bills to finance PTV's transmissions ,regardless of the fact whether they viewed the official channel or not.
The Federal Information Minister was asked by the members about not giving proper coverage to the proceedings of the National Assembly on PTV, and he "expressed his inability to increase the airtime for the parliamentarians as it would incur further losses". Just a thought that crosses the questioning mind: if the assembly proceedings televised were to be engaging enough for the public, it is likely that there would be commercial sponsors for it. After all political stories and dialogues do have commercial value? (The minister told a questioner that "the government was not bound to give advertisements to private TV channels.)"
I find it very educative to read such information. So more of it, dear reader. The Federal Information Minister revealed that the per minute transmission cost of PTV amounted to Rs100,000, and if the government provided more funds the coverage could be increased.
Now onto the subject of the Shalimar Television Network in reply to a question form MNA Yasmeen Rehman, the Information Minister informed the House that three government corporations held 92.81 percent shares in the Shalimar Recording and Broadcasting Company, while 61 individuals held the remaining shares. And during the year 2003-04 the SRBC recorded a net profit of Rs29.9million after tax deductions.
It was further disclosed that the STN had upgraded its transmissions to reach all the four provinces and 38 countries without receiving monetary assistance from the government in the form of grants, susbsidies or budget allocations. (Let me mention here a person who prefers STN to PTV, for the simple reason that there are no commercials to waste his time)
MNA Tasneem Ahmed Qureshi had a question and the Information Minister said that the PTV was working on a project of direct to home (DTH) platform which would initially telecast some 50 channels, later on to be increased to 300.Presently, the PEMRA has allowed the cable operators to distribute only 49 channels.
MNA Rana Mehmoodul Hasan had a question and the Information Minister told the House that the government had received applications to issue cross media licences to 24 organisations. He further said that ten licences had been issued for the establishment of satellite TV Channels,26 for FM radio stations, and 182 for cable TV. A very engaging, interesting scenario lies ahead, in this society, and debates too.?
News reports indicate that the "minister faced some tough questions from the treasury and opposition members over the coverage of the NA proceedings by the PTV on various points of order". MNAs Naveed Gabol, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Hafiz Husain Ahmad, Khurshid Afghan, Kunwar Khalid Yunus, and Hamid Nasir Chatha, have suggested that private TV channels should be allowed to cover the parliament's proceedings to overcome the deficiencies of PTV coverage. It will be interesting to see what becomes of this thought in the days ahead. Pakistani society could seek to know more about the parliament, its working, its contribution to society. Many questions, really.
The Information Minister said that the Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting had met earlier in the day where the issue of cross media ownership was taken up. And a bill to allow cross media ownership would be presented before the House soon.
A headline in this daily on 4th March tells a thought provoking story, on a subject that is discussed and argued ferociously at times, by Pakistani society. The headline: NA body resents display of immoral TV programmes. And the story reads like this:" The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting has taken strong cognisance of the portrayal of what it termed "vulgar and immoral" gestures on electronic channels including state -run Pakistan Television Corporation, especially in advertisements".
The committee which met in Islamabad with Rehana Aleem Mashadi in the chair, also directed the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to promote the soft image of the country abroad.(What is the image of the country at home, and what is the relationship between image and reality?)
The meeting was attended by MNAs Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali, Dr Syed Javed Hussain Mian, Liaquat Baloch, Sahibzada Haji Mohammad Fazal Karim, Gul-e-Farkhanda, Shahida Akhtar Ali,Bushra Rehman, and Meer Aijaz Husain Jakhrani.
This news report, refers to a source privy to the committee's meeting, as saying that the newly launched private channels have been asked to follow social norms and not to compromise on morality for material gains. Bear in mind that viewers have found themselves uncomfortably surprised at the manner in which Pakistani channels have shown leniency and liberalism in the name of freedom, and in their attempt to compete with the Indian channels that are shown in Pakistan via the satellite. This, of course, is one of the consequences of the technological advances that are available in this country.
The news report reveals that Rehana Aleem Mashadi "directed the Information Ministry to make sure that programmes that pollute minds of the younger generation could not be aired on the electronic channels."
She has been quoted as saying that "the ministry (information) must make it sure that the channels follow the moral and social norms. They should also keep morality in mind".
The Committee, reportedly, was also "critical" of the relay of certain programmes not conforming to moral and social codes by some cable operators and asked Pakistan Electronic Media and Regulatory Authority(PEMRA)to take necessary steps in this connection. Keep in mind the new Pemra chief, Iftikhar Rashid, was reported as saying that self-censorship was what he was expecting the channel operators to exercise in the days ahead.
It is certainly imperative to underline here that as the channels grow, the frontiers of tolerance are being stretched, and in that process there are being expressed voices of concern. Serious concern.
One news report sent out by Online reported that the Standing Committee had observed that the PTV should not try and cross the, social moral and religious limits that Pakistani society adheres to; and it is within this context that it should try and attain professional excellence, and artistic mileage.
George Ka Pakistan. That is an ongoing philosophical travel show that the Geo channel has been doing for some weeks now, and I have seen it in bits and pieces, courtesy my channel surfing. A fine form of story telling, in which this British journalist travels through the country, ostensibly trying to adjust to Pakistan, and become a citizen too. I found this interesting when one TV viewer wrote to the channel concerned and told George that he was a good guy, and were he to become a Muslim, he would like him (George) to become his son-in-law.!!! That is a Pakistani's way of being hospitable and accommodating.?
It is engaging, this effort that George is making; but one wonders if George going to spring a surprise on Pakistan by writing about it, eventually. He has been shown as asking some very pertinent questions and his travelogue(were he to write one)would be readable. That is all that I can say at this stage.
George (also called Geo by his family and folks at home) has been able to learn some Urdu, atleast enough for TV 's sake. Little details that are being depicted and explained, in an effort to enable him to integrate are amusing at times, and it doesn't surprise me to see that Geo cartoon has focused on him. Which mention makes it compulsory that I acknowledge the excellence of the Geo cartoon. I would like to see more of this kind of humour and realism, and I wonder why other Pakistani channels don't go in for it. Aryone has that highly watchable programme called Maazrat Key Saath, an entertaining, informative amalgam of cartoon,column and headlines from current affairs. There is so much there to write about, vis-a-vis TV that I often wonder why I don't write more frequently about the channels. There is that much to say and there is an audience for it, too.
George was also part of the weekly programme Follow-up with Fahd, this week. And there was an audience of young Pakistanis, asking George questions. Routine questions, really.
A point of special interest in this programme is the visual, where George is depicted trying to be a "Pakistani". There is no point in being cynical here.
I heard one amused viewer ask if in reality, would there be any real Westerner who would want to be Pakistani after 9/11. Suspend your disbelief, as the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge would say?
I would love to know what George would say at the end of the programme, and if the cameras were off, would he still want to go round the land, unescorted and unguided.!!!
There is much that is always purely political on Pakistani channels. So the choice is vast. This time my channel surfing enabled me to see a very stimulating and hard hitting current affairs show on the Sindhi language KTN channel. It was in English. The compere was the fluent, Imran Hussain, and the two participants were Mr Ilahi Baksh Soomro, a former Speaker of the National Assembly, and Ms Fariha Razak Haroon, MPA, Sindh Assembly.
Now while the discussion concluded around the theme that all political parties, leaders and politicians should sit down, peacefully, and settle their disputes for the well being of Pakistan, the conversation generally also highlighted the dissatisfaction that the two politicians expressed about the way the country was being run these days.
Ilahi Baksh Soomro said categorically that free and fair elections were the only option left for Pakistan to get out of its present state, which is the result of unfair polls. Everybody knew the results, he added bitterly. Then asked, "who brought the MMA into power?"
He spoke on a variety of angles; from the looting of passengers on public buses in the interior of Sindh, to how Islamabad dictates its policies to the provinces. He said that while Punjab was complying, and therefore doing well, Sindh was having problems because it was resisting. He added that only those Nazims were being helped who were suited to the policies of the Federal Government.
Strongly advocating a parliamentary form of government he said that "only Sindh should not be singled out for Governor's rule; and to another question he defended the Sardari system and said that it had its plus points too. Referring to the incident in Sui he said that if the Provincial Government alone were handling the issue the problem would have been solved by now.
And journalist turned politician Fariha Haroon said that the opposition in the Sindh Assembly was helpless as its hands were tied. "We cant do anything really" she said emphatically.
And the 50th Filmfare awards were telecast by the Geo channel on Saturday night, and a repeat telecast was done on Sunday night, I saw it in two parts and having run out of space hope to focus on it next time. The India-Pakistan cricket season has also started, and that is bound to be another favourite with most viewers. Even other programmes are going to revolve around the cricket theme, as was done by Anwar Maqsood in the Loose Talk that he did last week with Moin Akhtar. This time the show was hilarious.
An Urdu conference has begun in Islamabad, and apart from promoting the status of Urdu, there is going to be poetry and music that will be in the package. This could be another theme for next time.