In two installments
50 per cent would be paid in the first week of March
DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Adviser to the Chief Minister on finance Muzammil Aslam has assured a delegation of the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) that outstanding dues of Rs1.4 billion on account of the provincial government advertisements will be cleared in two installments.
According to a statement issued by the council, the assurance was given during a special meeting held with the CPNE delegation comprising former secretary general Ijazul Haq, Secretary General Ghulam Nabi Chandio and Chairman CPNE KP Tahir Farooq.
Mr Aslam furthered that Rs798 million had been settled with the provincial departments. Of this amount, 50 per cent would be paid in the first week of March.
The remaining dues, the settlement process of which was under way, would be cleared in the new financial year from July to September, the CM aide added.
He said the provincial government led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was responsible for clearing the arrears owed to newspapers, adding that the matter had been pending for a long time and would not be delayed further.
It is pertinent to mention here that CPNE had filed a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) seeking recovery of long-standing advertisement dues.
The petition has been pending for the past two years.
The court has issued a contempt notice to the KP finance secretary over non-payment of the outstanding amount.
As per the CPNE, the next hearing of the case has been scheduled for February 23.
