This month, Muhammad Ahmad Shah, the caretaker minister for information, social security, and minorities in Sindh, said that they were aware of the problems with the media and that the provincial government would pay the media about Rs2 billion for ads.
“Everyone can see how honest the caretaker government of Sindh is.” “We are also ready to hold elections on February 8, 2024, and the money has been made available,” the interim minister said at a meeting of newspaper editors here, put together by the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE).
Editors of several newspapers and magazines, as well as Information Secretary Nadeem Memon, CPNE Sindh Vice President Aamir Mehmood, and General Secretary Ejazul Haq, were also there.
“We are working on the third quarter payments.” The media bills are due Rs1.5 billion right now, and we will try to pay about Rs2 billion of that amount this month. The total amount of ads is worth Rs2.35 billion.
He said that the temporary government would not hurt anyone. There will be ads in national and local newspapers, and the newspapers will be paid.
The minister said that from now on, any pregnant woman in Sindh’s 17 poorest districts would be able to get Rs30,000 from the World Bank to pay for her and her child’s medical care. She would need to register at the nearest basic health unit.
“On the first day, you’ll get half of the money.” “The WB is contributing $200 million, and the Sindh government is contributing $20 million,” he said, adding that a campaign to raise knowledge about this would begin soon.
When asked if progress had been made in the murder case of journalist Jan Muhammad Meher, Ahmad said that the senior superintendent of police in Khairpur had sent a summary about putting Rs5 million as a head-money on the main suspect, which would soon be cleared.
“The inspector general of police for Sri Lanka is in Sukkur…” Next day, the chief minister of Sindh will also meet with the director general of the Rangers to ask for help in fighting the robbers.
Secretary General Haq of the CPNE gave Ahmad a shield, and Vice President Mehmood gave him a ceremonial reward.
Mehmood had earlier thanked the acting information minister for coming to the CPNE office.
“There are old payments of Rs700 million to Rs800 million that are four to five years due,” said Haq, who is the secretary general of the CPNE. It was at that time that the finance department sent a list of about Rs2.5 billion in ongoing payments, with about Rs500 million set aside for one quarter.
“We want to make sure that you pay for at least one more quarter.”
