Radio Pakistan Headquarter building to be leased out

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 19 September 2018

The government intends to lease the Radio Pakistan Headquarter building, moving operations to the Pakistan Broadcasting Academy. Employees are opposed, citing space issues.

Summary

ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf government plans to lease out Radio Pakistan Headquarter building on a long-term, a move likely to be opposed by employees.

Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has directed the director general of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) to prepare a proposal in this regard.

According to plan, the headquarters will be shifted to the Pakistan Broadcasting Academy in H-9, says a notification issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Insiders tell JournalismPakistan.com that the staffers see the plan as absurd. They point out that the H-9 academy does not have space to accommodate the entire headquarter staff and broadcasting equipment.

The staffers wonder if this is what will make Naya Pakistan where a symbol of the state is to be dumped into a small building.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has told the PBC managers not to renew contracts of 690 contractual staffers all over Pakistan.

Insiders say contracts of many employees ended on September 12 while those of others are due to expire on September 22. The ministry plans to review the contracts itself, they say.

All this has created an uncertain situation at the headquarters and elsewhere.