ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government paid Rs 2.64 billion and Rs 2.59 billion in Financial Years 2018-19 and 2019-20 respectively to media for its advertisements, halved than the amount of government advertisements released to media houses in the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) regime.
In a written reply to a question by the PML-N’s lawmaker Chaudhry Muhammad Barjees Tahir, the Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Syed Shibli Faraz Monday shared with the National Assembly the detail of federal government advertisements released through the Press Information Department (PID) to the print and electronic media during the last four financial years.
The minister apprised the Lower House that government advertisements worth Rs 5.83 billion were released to media in 2016-17, Rs 4.22 billion in 2017-18, Rs 2.64 billion in 2018-19, and Rs 2.59 billion in 2019-20.
Providing further details, Shibli Faraz told that in 2016-17, Rs 3.8 billion were incurred as expenditure on advertisements released to print media, and Rs 997 million were spent for electronic media advertisements.
Likewise, in 2017-18, Rs 3.4 billion were incurred for print media advertisements and Rs 823 million for electronic media advertisements; in 2017-18, Rs 2.6 billion were incurred for print media advertisements and Rs 37 million for electronic media advertisements; and in 2019-20, Rs 2.1 billion were incurred for print media advertisements and Rs 457 million for electronic media advertisements.
