ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the National Assembly on Thursday took serious notice of the “irregular decisions of the Board of Directors of the Pakistan Television (PTV) which resulted in expenditure of millions of rupees”, illegal appointments in the corporation and non-recovery of dues from a leading advertising agency.

Reviewing the audit reports on “PTV Headquarters and Islamabad Centre 1998-1999”, the PAC members noted that “the Board of Directors on different occasions had taken decisions in disregard to the government instructions, which resulted in financial burden of millions of rupees on the PTV”.

Giving details, the officials of the auditor general (AG) informed the PAC members that the board allowed hotel accommodation and transport\telephone facility to the information minister, secretary and press secretary to the prime minister in addition to the facility already being availed by them in their own offices, approved provision of TV/VCR/dish antenna to the chairman and directors of the corporation to be gifted to them on retirement or transfer without approval, created 55 posts in news and marketing division despite a ban, and approved sale of assigned car on book value to the entitled officers on retirement.

Moreover, the PAC was apprised that “bonus was paid to the corporation employees for the years 1997-98 and 1998-99 without approval of the finance division and the services of daily wage and contract employees were regularized in relaxation of qualification, experience, age etc. without the government’s approval.

The PAC, which met under its chairman Malik Allahyar Khan, asked the managing director of the PTV, Arshad Khan, to provide names of all those people who were appointed in violation of the ban as the committee members were not satisfied with the “management reply” given to all the above-mentioned points.

The committee members also asked the PTV chief to give the name of the information minister, secretary and press secretary to the prime minister and details of the expenditures during their stay in various hotels.

Pointing out another irregularity, the audit report said that Azhar Lodhi was appointed on contract as consultant News and Current Affairs Presentation in the PTV for a period of two years on March 20, 1998. The report said later, the board regularized Mr Lodhi’s services as resource person for two months and 17 days with pays, allowances and privileges from January 3, 1998. It said as the finance ministry did not approve the decision of the board to regularize the service, the amount of Rs0.117 million paid to Mr Lodhi was “irregular”.

Further, the report said, Mr Lodhi was “made a payment of advance against salary amounting to Rs28,256 and items comprising air-conditioners, VCR with remote control, colour TV with remote and a dish antenna system were also issued to him. These store items valued at Rs107,000. The services of the consultant were terminated on January 7, 2000 by the management but the items issued by the PTV were not returned by him, thus causing a total loss of Rs135,250 to the PTV.

Arshad Khan told the PAC that the management had been trying to recover the amount and retrieve the items from Mr Lodhi, but they had met no success. He said the efforts were still being made to recover the items.

Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan of the PML-N admitted that all these illegalities were committed during the government of his own party. He said the appointment of Mr Lodhi was also illegal. However, he said, those responsible for these acts should not be spared.

The PAC members later asked the PTV chief not to pursue the matter with Mr Lodhi, but make sure that no such incident should happen in future.

The PAC members also expressed concern over the continuous absence of information secretary Shahid Rafi from the meetings, and directed him to ensure his presence in the next meeting.

Chaudhry Nisar pointed out that it was for the fourth time that the information secretary had not appeared before the committee. He said it seemed that the secretary was not taking the PAC seriously.

He said it was strange that whenever there was a meeting of the PAC, the secretary made an excuse that he was busy. “What is the duty of the information secretary with the president or the prime minister except he remains there for a photo session,” he said.

The PAC gave 30 days to the PTV MD to resolve the issue of the non-recovery of Rs5.557 million dues from the advertising agency, pending since December 1998.