ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court has taken suo moto notice on the appointment of Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi’s appointment as Pakistan Television (PTV) Chairman by the ruling party.
The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday summoned former information minister Pervez Rashid and other officials, demanding to know why former Pakistan Television (PTV) chairman Attaul Haq Qasmi allegedly received over Rs270 million in salary and employee benefits over his two-year term.
While taking the notice, Chief Justice Saqib Nisar said that this appointment seems illegal. “Qasmi was given Rs27 crore during his tenure of two years which were tax money of people of Pakistan,” CJP observed.
“This country is of poor people so how can one person be given this much amount of money,” he asked.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing a 2006 petition filed by a producer who worked at PTV, which claimed that the absence of a Managing Director (MD) in the state-run institution had a negative effect on the organisation’s operations.
Qasmi had stirred up controversy in April 2017 when he appointed himself PTV MD. Five days later, he was replaced by Information Secretary Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera, who was appointed as acting MD.
According to Sukhera, who appeared before the two-judge bench on Friday, Qasmi received at least Rs 2.7 million every month in salary and other benefits. The former chairman was also allocated an advertising budget for a programme he used to host on PTV.
The large amount of compensation Qasmi allegedly received during his time at PTV caught the eye of Justice Nisar, who observed that the former chairman received at least Rs1m monthly.
The case was adjourned until February 12.
