ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Friday commended Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) Managing Director Mohammad Asim Khichi for exposing large-scale corruption in the state-run news agency, praising his integrity and courage in acting as a whistleblower.
The meeting, chaired by MNA Palwasha Baloch, acknowledged Khichi’s role in uncovering what it termed a “systematic network of corruption” inside the agency. Members assured their full cooperation in recovering embezzled public funds and bringing those responsible to justice.
Federal Information Secretary Ambreen Jan also lauded the APP chief’s commitment to transparency and pledged her ministry’s support for institutional accountability. Committee member Kiran Dar endorsed Khichi’s reform agenda, while MQM’s Aminul Haque asked whether the MD had faced threats from vested groups, expressing solidarity against any pressure.
Briefing the committee, Khichi revealed that internal inquiries had detected misappropriation of more than Rs1.24 billion in a PSDP-funded project, in addition to irregularities in recruitment, provident fund accounts and employee expenditures. He said the FIA had registered cases against 16 individuals, including former executive directors, managers and clerical staff.
Khichi highlighted APP’s expanding digital presence, reporting 85 million website impressions annually, with 1.03 million followers on Facebook, 1 million on TikTok, 1.5 million on X, 319,000 on Instagram and 137,000 on YouTube. He noted that the agency now publishes 350–400 stories daily and is awaiting cabinet approval to sign MoUs with 11 international news agencies.
He added that reforms were under way to verify staff degrees, enforce biannual “life certificates” for pensioners, and recover fake pensions. A Rs3 billion demand had been placed before the finance division to cover three years of unpaid pension increases. The MD projected that new strategies could raise APP’s annual revenues up to Rs200 million.
Separately, Ambreen Jan briefed the committee on reforms in Pakistan Television, confirming that Rs11 billion had been released for clearing employee dues, with another Rs4.5 billion sought. She said salaries for permanent, contract and daily-wage staff had been paid up to June 25.
The Press Information Commission (PIC) reported handling 6,340 complaints over eight years, disposing of 5,435, with 905 still pending. The Principal Information Officer, Mubashir Hassan, briefed the committee on Independence Day advertising, admitting that an omission of Quaid-i-Azam’s portrait in an official campaign was due to an advertising agency’s oversight. The committee, however, termed the apology inadequate, stressing the symbolic importance of the founding father.
The committee also resolved to ensure greater transparency across all media institutions and directed the APP chief to pursue recovery of looted funds without delay.
