KARACHI: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday requested the provincial information department to provide details of advertisements worth Rs1.538 billion issued to newspapers and TV channels from 2017 to 2020.

The PAC, chaired by Nisar Khuhro, also directed the information department to explain the criteria and formula used for distributing advertisements to print and electronic media.

Provincial Information Secretary Nadeer Rehman Memon, along with directors and other relevant officers, attended the meeting. However, the information department was unable to provide any details regarding the advertisements.

Mr Khuhro instructed the department to submit complete details, including the names of TV channels and newspapers that received advertisements.

He emphasised that while all media houses and organisations are respectable, some advertisements had been issued to “dummy” newspapers with no circulation.

Regarding the audit paragraph on advertisements, the department failed to provide details of the ads, bills, and transmission certificates for the releases. As a result, the audit paragraph could not be resolved, and the PAC adjourned the meeting until all relevant details are submitted.

It was also revealed during the meeting that the filming section of the information department had been spending funds on petrol without conducting any actual work. The chairman questioned the information secretary about the filming section’s activities. The secretary responded that the director of public relations and the film directorate were not involved in any filming work and had no assignments in this regard.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2024