Daily Times

The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting Monday sought details of media ads during the PML-N tenure after an audio clip of PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz went viral in which she was instructing someone to stop advertisements to four TV channels.

The committee chairman, Senator Faisal Javed, took notice of the audio clip as Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib gave a briefing during the meeting.

The state minister said the Ministry of Information had started an inquiry after Maryam’s audio clip went viral. A report, containing details of ads till 2008 would be furnished with the committee on Wednesday, he said, says a news report.

Habib informed the meeting that the ministry’s constituted committee was probing in what capacity did Maryam issue directives for stopping the media ads.

“We are also probing whether the directives to stop ads had impacted on the independence of journalism,” Habib said.

Senator Javed said some channels were receiving majority of the ads, while others were getting a negligible amount. He lamented that media workers were forced to commit suicide due to non-payment of salaries.

Maryam, addressing a press conference earlier this week, had confirmed the authenticity of the viral audio clip. Replying to the question, the PML-N leader said that she will not deny that the voice was hers or say it had been “fabricated”.

“I was running the party’s media cell at that time and it is an old audio clip,” she said.

State-run PTV’s managing director said former pacer Shoaib Akhtar should not have been insulted on live TV. “The matter, however, has been resolved.”

The “insult” of Akhtar on the state-owned TV channel last month had sparked anger among the cricket fans. PTV Sports anchor Dr Nauman Niaz had told the cricket star to leave the show in the presence of cricket legends like Sir Viv Richards and David Gower.

PTV’s MD told the committee that the incident had damaged the reputation of the state-run broadcaster; however, as the inquiry into the matter remained incomplete, Akhtar and Niaz were still off air.

The MD said Akhtar was a legend and he should be part of the inquiry.

In response, Javed said the anchorperson should not have behaved in the manner that he did on the state TV. Javed told the PTV MD to submit the report to the committee after the inquiry concludes.