ISLAMABAD, Jul 05 (NNI): Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ataullah Tarar on Friday said the newspapers of the country had received the maximum advertisements of Rs 9 billion whereas the new channels were given Rs 6 billion advertisements.
Responding to the question of Senator Sarmad Ali Khan pertaining to criteria for news channels and newspapers during the question hour session of the second meeting of the 340th session of the Senate of Pakistan, the Minister informed that the newspapers were facing financial crisis due to which the current government paid special attention to it.
Ataullah Tarar said at present as per the 1997 Services Manual, advertisements were given to the news and media outlets. He added that a policy for advertisement was introduced in 2021 which was amended in 2022.
“There is no criteria to gauge electronic media’s eligibility for getting advertisements. However, our rates’ committee based on rating of news channels allows a limit or number of advertisements to be given to a particular channel,” he said.
The Minister underlined that at presented no advertisements for any news channel were halted by the current government.
The criteria, he said for advertisement was to convey the intended message to maximum audience effectively, whereas the rating system for news channels helps achieve that ambition.
Moreover, the Audit Bureau of Circulation checks the circulation of the newspapers and then issues advertisements to the widely circulated newspapers, he added.
In the Budget 2024, he said 10 percent duty was imposed on the paper used for newspapers which was imported, but it was waived off and no new tax was imposed on newspapers due to the prevailing crisis. He urged the House the at the prevailing Policy needs to be made be improved and made effective under the guidance of the mover of the question and All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS).
Earlier, the Minister paid tribute to the Prime Minister for successfully culminating his visit to Astana for participation in the Leaders Forum under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and ardently pleading the case of innocent Palestinians.
“The Prime Minister vehemently fought the case of Palestine and demanded that Israel hould be held accountable for the genocide of innocent Palestinians as two million of them were displaced,” he added.
Pakistan, he said had a clear stance that free Palestine should be accepted from Pre-1967 its boundaries with Al Quds as its capital and cease fire should be made as there was no other remedy to it. NNI
