Endless Adjournments: PTV Anchor Selection Criteria Still Withheld After 18 Months
The Pakistan Information Commission (PIC), which is legally bound to decide appeals within 60 days, has been hearing an appeal related to the selection of anchors at Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) for the past one and a half years, repeatedly granting adjournments to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MOIB) and PTV, resulting in continued delays in the disclosure of public information.
Both related appeals were recently fixed for hearing on January 13, 2026; however, another adjournment was granted, and the matters have now been deferred to February 2026.
Despite the lapse of more than one and a half years, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Pakistan Television Corporation remain reluctant to make public the information regarding the selection criteria of anchors hired in 2024, which was sought under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017, commonly known as the RTI Law.
According to details, in October 2024, this reporter sought specific information, including the minutes of meetings in which appointments of certain anchors were approved. The request also sought details about the selection criteria, along with the perks and privileges granted to these anchors. After the Ministry and PTV failed to provide the requested information, appeals was filed with the Pakistan Information Commission in October 2024.
Also Read: After Three Years, KPIC Still Fails to Ensure Access to Public Record
After the passage of one year, in October 2025, the Pakistan Information Commission directed the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, to disclose details of the salary packages of anchors Ameen Hafiz, Beenish Saleem, Najam Wali, Razi Dada, Shumaila Choudhary, and others hired by Pakistan Television Corporation from August 2023 to March 2024 onward. The Commission also directed the Ministry to make public the minutes of the departmental selection meeting in which the decision to hire these anchors was taken.
The information sought included a list of anchors and hosts hired by PTV from March 1, 2024, onward, along with their salary packages—whether paid monthly or per program—and the criteria used for their hiring. The request also sought salary packages and copies of contracts of some former anchors to enable a comparison of their terms and remuneration with those of newly hired anchors.
Further details were requested regarding anchors hired between August 2023 and March 2024, including their salary packages and copies of contracts signed with program hosts such as Ameen Hafiz, Rana Abrar Khalid, Beenish Saleem, Najam Wali, Razi Dada, Shumaila Choudhary, Rizwan Razi, and Maria Zulfiqar Khan.
In addition, the reporter requested the minutes of the departmental selection meeting in which the decision to hire anchors including Beenish Saleem, Ameen Hafiz, and Shumaila Choudhary was taken.
Also Read: One Year On, PIC Fails to Enforce Order to Remove MOFA’s Controversial RTI Requirements
Despite issuing clear directions in October 2025 to the Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Pakistan Information Commission has failed to ensure implementation of its order, instead granting repeated adjournments to the MOIB and Pakistan Television Corporation, thereby causing continued delays in the disclosure of the requested information.
