PESHAWAR, Aug 17: The general-secretary of the NWFP chapter of the Pakistan People’s Party (Sherpao), Sikandar Hayat Khan Sherpao, has criticised the decision to transmit a one-hour Pashto programme from PTV National instead of PTV World and PTV-1, saying the move will deprive a large number of viewers of programmes in their mother tongue.

In a press statement issued here on Friday, he claimed that the decision was aimed at driving Pukhtuns away from their mother tongue.

He contended that PTV National could only be viewed on cable and people of areas where cable television services were not available would be deprived of the telecast.

He said Pukhtuns, being the second largest nation in Pakistan, had constitutional and legal rights to promote their language, script and culture without any hindrance.