THE Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Zhob, has been paralysed for the last three years. The station was inaugurated by the then chief minister of Balochistan Akthar Mengal and the then federal information minister Mushahid Hussain Syed on April 21, 1998.

At the beginning, the installed transmitter had a capacity of 10 KW, and had been covering a beat of 150km of the district. A handsome amount of Rs20 million was spent on its building-cum-installations from the national exchequer. A proper staff was appointed in both programming and engineering sections.

Zhob is surrounded by high mountains because of which receiving clear radio signals of others stations of Pakistan was not only a harder task but it was impossible owing on technical grounds. As a result, a large population of the district had been deprived of the national and international news and current affairs for half a century. Of course, the credit goes to Radio Pakistan, Zhob, that communicated the people with the world. It was only the Radio Pakistan that started filling the ever-expanding gap in 1998.

The fact is that the station, in a short span, played an important role in uplifting life standards and raising mental growth of the people. Urdu and Pashto programmes had gained much popularity among its listeners between 1998 and 2005. During this period, all equipment was smoothly functioning and the staff was energetic and dedicated to their duties.

The station had been contributing to raising the literacy rate in urban areas, in general, and rural areas, in particular, by presenting various types of educational programmes in Urdu and Pashto languages. Women’s education was encouraged in the area. Educational programmes were widely encouraged by all segments of society. Owing to the mismanagement at operational and maintenance level and apathy on the part of the PBC, Islamabad, the station is about to collapse.

I request the federal minister of information and broadcasting, the PCB director-general and other officials concerned to take serious notice of the conditions at the Zhob station in the interest of the people and for the sake of saving an important institution from being ruined.

SAYED BADSHAH Ex-engineer, Radio Pakistan Zhob