ISLAMABAD - Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan on Wednesday informed the National Assembly that Radio Pakistan was running into deficit which stood at Rs one billion adding that contractual employees were laid off to overcome the deficit.

Replying to a calling attention notice raised by Kishwer Zehra and others regarding termination of hundred of employees including contractual employees from Radio Pakistan, the minister said services of 749 contractual employees were terminated who had been recruited without following rules and regulations.

It was very difficult to run an organization with a huge financial deficit and the ministry had to take such a tough decision to lay off the contractual employees, he said.

He said all those employees were recruited during the tenure of past governments and no rules and regulations were followed to recruit them.

749 contractual employees were laid off to overcome shortfall

Out of total terminated employees, 225 were closed relatives of those who were already working in Radio Pakistan and they were recruited without following any merit, he said.

The Minister said Radio Pakistan received a grant of Rs 4373 million against its expenditure of Rs 5600 million. Radio had total revenue Rs 285 million while its shortfall was estimated as Rs 1200 million, he said.

However, he said discussion was underway with the representatives of the employees and no excessive method would be used with anyone.

The minister said, Prime Minister Imran Khan had zero tolerance to those who had plundered the national wealth. He further said, those who had looted the national exchequer would not be spared.