EDITORIAL

Pakistan Television Corporation Limited (PTV) is a public limited company. The Government of Pakistan holds all its shares. The decision to establish a general-purpose television service with the participation of private capital and under the general supervision of the Government of Pakistan (GOP) was taken in October 1963. Subsequently, the GOP signed an agreement with Nippon Electronic Company of Japan, allowing it to operate two pilot stations in Pakistan.
The first of these stations went on air in Lahore on 26 November 1964. On the completion of the experimental phase, a private limited company called Television Promoters Limited was set up in 1965, which was converted into a public limited company in 1967. Television centres were established in Karachi and Rawalpindi/Islamabad in 1967 and in Peshawar and Quetta in 1974. PTV satellite transmission is around the clock. The transmission includes ETV and PTV News transmission.

PTV is a national state-driven television. Therefore, it is expected to project the image of the state of Pakistan in all fields of politics, governance, foreign policy, international relations and economy. Politics, current affairs and governance are the elemental programs of the PTV news channel. However, PTI consistently faces a political dilemma. Although it is expected to project the image of the state, it projects the image of the government. As most of the employees are public servants, therefore, they are unable to resist the guidelines of the political executive. Hence, the whole media scheme is more subjective than the essence of objectivity. It is appropriate to contend that PTV has always been the government’s propaganda machine.

However, the most bizarre part is the performance of the political analysts. It is more of a comic relief than a genuine objective analysis of democracy, politics, electioneering or political commentary. How is it possible that an analyst today is advocating PTI, and the next day he is advocating PMLN if the latter comes into power? This may be the fastest transition of ideologies a person can make. Then, the other significant question arises, should viewers still believe his political analysis? How can viewers believe his political analysis? Is this not less than a joke?

There is a dire need to reform PTV. Firstly, there is no need to run a state-owned TV, which has not been able to compete with private channels. Secondly, if it is so required, then the news channel of the PTV should be scrapped. The public exchequer should not be wasted on this subjective political analysis by the PTV political experts.