ISLAMABAD: As many as 42 candidates are vying for the lucrative post of the managing director of Pakistan Television, the information and broadcasting secretary told the Islamabad High Court on Thursday.

In response to identical petitions against the appointment of Arshad Khan as acting managing director, Information Secretary Shafqat Jalil submitted a written report “on the appointment of managing director of Pakistan Television” to the IHC.

The report said: “The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has advertised the post of managing director of PTVC in the national newspapers on February 1, 2019 as per existing policy and rules of the federal government.” It said that “42 applications have been received in response to the advertisement for appointment of MD PTVC”.

Further process would be made as per instructions of the Prime Minister Office, the report added.

According to the report, the Supreme Court had in the Ataul Haq Qasmi case directed the federal government to appoint a full-time managing director of PTV after fulfilling all legal, procedural and codal formalities, strictly in accordance with the law.

IHC requested to set aside notification giving acting charge of office to Arshad Khan

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC, after reading out the report, asked the information ministry to apprise the court of a complete timeline for the appointment of a new PTV managing director and adjourned the hearing.

Petitioners Pervaiz Akhter Bhatti, secretary general of the All PTV Employees and Workers Union, and Malik Shabbir requested the court to set aside the notification giving the acting charge of PTV managing director to Arshad Khan and declare illegal the steps taken by him during his tenure. The petitioners also sought a court decree against the PTV board of directors.

The counsel for the petitioners argued that giving the acting charge of managing director to Arshad Khan and his appointment as chairman the PTV board of directors were against the law as well as the judgement of the Supreme Court.

He argued that the Supreme Court had in the case relating to the appointment of Ataul Haq Qasmi as PTV managing director laid down certain criteria which had been ignored while making Arshad Khan head of the state-run PTV.

He requested the court to declare the appointment as illegal.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2019