Questions raised on information ministry’s secret fund

ISLAMABAD:Members of the National assembly’s standing committee for information have raised questions and expressed reservations on the use of a secret fund by the ministry of information.

Belum Hasnain chaired the session of the National assembly’s standing committee for information. The session discussed the matters of the press council. Chairman of the council, Shafqat Abbasi told the committee that the proposed draft of the code of conduct has been sent to the organizations of journalists for consideration. He said that the government has to constitute laws in this regard.

Members of the committee believed that talking against the country should not be allowed on the media. They also raised a question that why is the misuse of information ministry’s secret fund not reported? In his answer to this question the Federal Secretary Information, Rasheed Chaudry said that the fund is not misused and spending of the secret fund cannot be shared but not even a penny is released without an audit. He also said that some widows of journalists and effected families are assisted by the fund.

The committee also raised the question of lack of support of the information ministry as far as the payment of salaries and dues of the media employees is concerned.

The committee members also raised the matter of security of journalists during the session, to which the information secretary replied that providing protection to journalists was not possible for them and it was the responsibility of the provincial and federal institutes.

The standing committee directed the press council to propose measures for the security of journalists.

During the session salary of the press council’s chairman also came under discussion. The members belonging to the People’s Party and the PML(N) kept insisting the chairman to declare his salary. The chairman council hit back by saying that he had yet to count his salary and did not know the exact amount.