A parliamentary panel on Monday expressed serious resentment over ignoring less developed areas of the country including FATA in the appointments made in Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage and its attached department and instructed to ensure their due representation in future appointments.
Senate Standing Committee on Less Developed Areas, chaired by Senator Usman Khan Kakar, was briefed by senior officials of the ministry on the appointments made in the ministry and its attached departments during the last three years as well the financial assistance being given to artists belonging to these areas. Acting secretary Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Saba Mohsin Raza informed the committee about the appointments made during the last three years in Press Information Department (PID), Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), Pakistan Television Corporation, Associated Press of Pakistan Corporation (APPC), Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Press Council of Pakistan and Lok Virsa.
She said that local people were appointed against the posts [Grade 1-2] whereas appointments have been made while following provincial quotas against the posts from grade 3-15. On the posts from grade 16-22, she said that the appointments were made through Public Service Commission.
The committee, however, instructed the ministry to immediately make appointments on the posts lying vacant in the ministry and its attached departments under provincial quotas while giving priority to the less developed areas. The committee also instructed the ministry to fill the vacant vacancies under the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package and ensure that recruitment is made on the 'genuine' Balochistan domiciles.
The panel was told that no recruitment was made in the PID in the last three years and 155 appointments have been made in PBC while observing the provincial quota. In PEMRA, no fresh appointment has been made while 51 contact and daily wages employees have been regularised.
It was further informed that eight seats under Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package are lying vacant in PEMRA and the committee instructed the ministry to immediately fill the vacant seats. The acting secretary further told the committee that 12 seats were also lying vacant at Press Council of Pakistan but no applications were received from any candidate from Balochistan. Upon which the committee directed the ministry to advertise the vacancies in the local newspapers.
The chairman and members of the committee also expressed displeasure over absence of the concerned minister to brief the committee and decided to register their protest in writing. However, acting secretary Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Saba Mohsin Raza said that the minister was busy in another important meeting of the Law and Justice as the minister is also holding the additional charge of that ministry.
The committee further observed that the state run television should ensure to give a balanced coverage to all political parties. The chairman also lashed out at the state run television for not giving proper time to the politicians of the less developed areas on its talks shows particularly on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
"I know why PTV is reluctant to invite politicians from the parties who have different opinion on the CPEC...because Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal does not want PTV to invite politicians with different opinion," the chairman of the committee further remarked.
The committee also instructed the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to strictly ensure the provincial quota while making any appointments in the future. The committee also described the financial assistance of Rs 3,500 being given to local artists as insufficient, calling for further increase in the assistance. The committee also recommended measures to promote local languages like Pashto, Balochi, Seriaki, Sindhi and other languages of the less developed areas by launching channels in the local languages.