How much money did state-run TV raise in flood-telethon? | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

How much money did state-run TV raise in flood-telethon?

By Mazhar Tufail

ISLAMABAD: The management of the state-run Television has apparently mislead Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani about the actual volume of the funds raised for for flood relief efforts through a six-day telethon, it was learnt here on Tuesday.

“The state-run TV Managing Director Arshad Khan arranged a function before the meeting of the federal cabinet on September 8 and also invited the prime minister to the function where he announced that a sum of Rs450 million has been collected through the telethon,” a source told The News on condition of anonymity. “The actual amount collected through the telethon however was a paltry Rs3.7 million,” he claimed.

The source said the managing director also presented a cheque to the prime minister in the function but it was only for the amount collected through deduction of one-day salary of the employees and some other donations. He said that besides an understandably perturbed prime minister some other government quarters are also considering to initiate an inquiry into the episode.

When contacted by The News, Arshad Khan denied that he had claimed collection of Rs450 million and clarified that the cited amount of Rs450 million was “the amount pledged during the telethon and not the amount that was actually collected till date”. He claimed that he presented a cheque for Rs10 million to the prime minister and that amount was collected through deduction of one-day salary of the employees and included “some other donations as well”.
Source: The News
Date:9/15/2010