ISLAMABAD, March 25: The former PTV managing-director Yousaf Baig Mirza on Saturday held a private production company responsible for his removal from the top slot of the state-owned organization.

He accused the company of Rs95 million defaulter of the PTV and claimed that his demand for payment of arrears caused his removal from the job.

He told Dawn that the firm, Avtek, a family concern of a special assistant to the prime minister, had failed to pay the rent for airtime for its operations on PTV-3.

However, when contacted the company denied that it owed any amount to the PTV, and claimed, actually, the situation was vice versa. “We have some credit balance towards PTV,” a company senior executive said. However, he did not mention the exact amount.

He also suggested Dawn not to go with the story.

Earlier, he had promised to come up with some details about the PTV affairs, but even after a lapse of one month, he failed to keep his words.

Meanwhile, when Mr Mirza was asked about the reasons which led to his dismissal from the MD slot, he denied he was sacked for showing “unsatisfactory” performance, and said it was the result of his demand to the company to pay its dues. Even the PTV had served notices on the company in this regard, he said.

The company, owned by the brother of the PM’s special assistant, was using muscle to hush up the matter by showing a complicated account of things in a manner that did not reflect true picture, he said.

Even the cheques issued by the company bounced, piling up the outstanding dues, the former MD alleged, adding that all efforts to recover the amount were suppressed.

He said when he pushed the company to clear its dues, he was conveyed about the concern of its management through the information ministry, suggesting him to negotiate a settlement with the highly influential group.

The pressure exerted by the company increased, as he was asked to ensure that no further written demands were made for dues’ recovery, and that the PTV considered the matter closed till the firm itself suggested some proposals.

Mr Mirza said he opted to go on an ex-country leave to Dubai, as he was unable to withstand the pressure. It was also a consideration that his absence would help cool down the matter.

He alleged that he even received threatening messages from the group. In one of his conversations with the firm a day before his dismissal from the job, he had expressed his inability to accommodate their demands.

He said his dismissal order was issued around midnight, at a time when he was flying back from Dubai.

About his recent meeting with Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Jamali, the former PTV MD said the prime minister was very receptive and kind, and appreciated his contribution to the PTV. The prime minister also promised that he would look into the matter favourably, he said.

Mr Mirza also cited one of the decisions made during a recent board meeting, in which the PTV chairman, while appreciating his performance, had emphasized to place on record the meritorious services rendered by him over a spell of five years, in which he turned the financial health of the corporation from red entries to a record income in the fields of advertisements/licensing revenues.

“With his managerial strategies and hard work, the corporation was able to beam its transmission from three channels,” the minutes of the meeting said. The members of the board also lauded his talent/professional competence as chief executive of the corporation and wished him success in the future.