The NWFP Assembly on Tuesday blasted state run PTV for non coverage of the provincial assembly proceedings regarding devastation and human loss from the October 8 deadly earthquake.
NWFP Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Malik Zafar Azam raised the matter first and alleged the state run PTV blacked out the news about destruction from earthquake in the province.
He said for the last several days, the assembly was debating about destruction, but state run media was not spreading their message to the people.
Senior parliamentarian Abdul Akbar Khan of PPP also supported the minister and said Malik Zafar Azam was absolutely right in his contentions. He asked the chair to ban the entry of all those electronic media channels into the premises of the provincial assembly, which were not giving coverage to the proceedings of the house.
Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani, parliamentary leader of PML-Q suggested that a strong warning should be sent to the concerned quarters. Bashir Ahmad Bilour of ANP said despite that they would not hesitate to table a condemnation motion if they failed in changing their attitude, then we would have to frame future line of action.
Taking the floor, Provincial Minister for Information Asif Iqbal Daudzai said the matter had been felt despite massive destruction in five districts of NWFP from the quake, the coverage of province was less than its volume and gravity. He said he had talked to the management of PTV and now they had increased the coverage of the province.
He said due to lukewarm attitude of PTV their relief related suggestions were not reaching to the concerned quarters. He said he would once contacted the management of PTV to include it in both local and national hook programmes. He warned that if they failed to come up to the expectation of the provincial assembly then a condemnation motion would also be moved in the assembly.
The information minister appreciated the role of private channels, which he said had taken the message of government to the people.
Deputy Speaker Ikramullah Shahid, who was chairing the proceeding, asked the minister to talk to the management of PTV and inform the house on Friday.