LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday sought replies from the Punjab government and its departments on a plea seeking complete disclosure of the record of alleged spending of billions of rupees from the public exchequer on the government publicity.

Justice Hassan Nawaz Makhdoom heard the civil miscellaneous application filed in a pending writ petition by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Aliya Hamza.

Advocate Azhar Siddique, arguing on behalf of the petitioner, pointed out lack of transparency, accountability and the constitutional obligation of the government to ensure lawful utilisation of taxpayers’ money.

He said the official information, presented before the National Assembly, revealed that around Rs14.82 billion were released to print, electronic and digital media outlets during fiscal year 2022-23.

He said more than Rs9.28bn were spent on government advertisements and publicity between July 2024 and March 2026.

The counsel argued that despite spending such large amounts, authorities had allegedly failed to provide complete details regarding beneficiaries, criteria for allocation, campaign-wise expenditure and recipient-wise payments.

He stated that withholding such information violated Article 19-A of the Constitution, the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017, and principles of transparency and good governance.

He further pointed out unequal distribution of advertisements by the government among media organisations, claiming that some outlets had been given preferential treatment, while others were denied advertisements despite their standing and reach.

He asked the court to order disclosure of complete records of the government advertising expenditure, including spending on branding, digital campaigns, sponsored content and publicity initiatives.

After hearing the arguments, the judge issued notices to the respondents for submission of replies within a fortnight.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2026