We keep hearing in the national media that Radio Pakistan is facing a financial crunch, and it frequently faces problems in the payment of staff salaries and pensions. But no one in a position of authority has bothered to take a note of wasteful activities being undertaken by the organisation.
Radio Pakistan is currently transmitting an external service for eight hours in eight languages, including Pashto, which hardly has listeners, and is devoid of any useful content about Pakistan. It has employed 20 staff members and four producers for simply transmitting non-stop music and a three-minute news bulletin.
One wonders how the country can be served by transmitting non-stop music. There is a need to ensure that every rupee of precious public money is spent on some productive activity. Even a resourceful country like the United States has recently discontinued the external service of the Voice of America.
That being so, one fails to understand why Radio Pakistan is continuing to waste precious resources on such a pointless transmission despite facing a financial crunch and being unable to pay even salaries to its employees. The authorities concerned should shut down the completely useless external service at the earliest.
ASLAM JAVAID
LAHORE
