Rejecting the allegation of any secret fund, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira on Monday urged the Supreme Court to take action against the people who have misguided it on this issue.
“I will request the Supreme Court to take action against the people, who are misguiding and misleading the court about the secret fund,” he told the media outside the Parliament House.
He said that the total budget of the ministry was Rs 5.58 billion, out of which Rs 3.4 billion were allocated for Radio Pakistan as it was not an earning organisation.
He added that Rs250 million have been earmarked for Pakistan Television to install and run boosters in the remote areas of the country.
“We have a number of organisations, including Directorate of Film and Publications (DFP), Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) and Press Information Department (PID) while Rs 530 million are allocated for press attaches abroad,” he added.
About the secret fund, Kaira clarified that Rs100 million were reserved for special publicity while a small amount of Rs12 million was kept under the head of secret fund.
This amount is meant for the treatment of ailing journalists, their families and marriage of journalists’ daughters. However, the minister said he will not disclose the names of journalists being provided financial assistance by the ministry.
He said that newspersons of various cities and countries were invited to visit Pakistan and they were looked after from this budgetary allocation.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2012.
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SC is deliberatly admitting such cases to put the hurdle against a govt. which is sincerely active to make a new Pakistan. On the othere hand aquitting hard core supporter of terrorists activity and murderer of Shia minority in the country .