TP REPORT
KARACHI: Muzammil Aslam, Advisor to the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Finance, has assured a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) that outstanding advertisement dues amounting to Rs1.4 billion will be paid in two installments.
The assurance was given during a special meeting with the CPNE delegation comprising Ijazul Haq (Former Secretary General), Ghulam Nabi Chandio (Secretary General), and Tahir Farooq, Chairman CPNE KP.
Explaining the payment mechanism, Muzammil Aslam stated that Rs798 million has been reconciled with provincial departments. Of this amount, 50 percent will be released in the first week of March. The remaining outstanding dues—whose reconciliation process is currently underway—will be cleared in the new fiscal year between July and September.
He acknowledged that the provincial government is responsible for clearing arrears payable to newspapers and said the long-pending issue would not face further delay.
It is pertinent to note that CPNE has filed a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court seeking recovery of long-standing advertisement dues. The matter has remained pending before the court for the past two years. The court has also issued a contempt notice to the Finance Secretary over non-payment. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for February 23 at the Peshawar High Court.
The meeting concluded with a commitment to resolve the matter amicably and ensure timely disbursement of dues to the newspaper industry.
