Islamabad (GNP): A Sub-Committee of the Senate Standing Committee on Information & Broadcasting convened in Islamabad, chaired by Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi, with Senators Jan Muhammad and Abdul Shakoor Khan also in attendance.
The session was joined by representatives of the Parliamentary Reporters Association of Pakistan (PRA), the National Press Club, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), and various media workers, who presented their concerns to the committee.
The meeting was called to review the rules, eligibility requirements, and procedures governing the allotment of residential plots to journalists and media professionals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Opening the session, the Convener noted his displeasure over the delay in forming the Sub-Committee and holding its first meeting. In response, the Director General of the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) explained that a delay in circulating minutes from the main committee had held up progress on the issue.
The DG FGEHA then walked members through the allotment framework under FGEHA’s housing schemes, noting that a 2% quota had been set aside for journalists and media workers under Phase-I, while Phase-II carried a 1% reservation. He confirmed that Phase-I allotments had already been completed.
According to the briefing, applicants must have a minimum of 20 years of professional experience and currently work in Islamabad or Rawalpindi. Their affiliated publication needed to have appeared on the Central Media List for the past three years, and applicants’ spouses must not have previously received a plot in the twin cities. The DG added that FGEHA compiles the list of eligible candidates and that allotments follow a seniority-based system. Phase-II currently has 85 plots available across various categories.
Senator Waqar Mehdi instructed that eligible journalists be evaluated strictly by seniority and that the process move forward without unnecessary delay, asking the ministry to treat the matter as a priority. He announced that the Sub-Committee would reassess progress in a month’s time.
Media representatives raised concerns that many journalists who had applied under the Bara Kahu scheme found that the first-come, first-served principle had not been honored, and they voiced apprehension that Phase-II could see similar issues. They also drew attention to 35 applicants whose cases had been pending before the Wafaqi Mohtasib since 2004, and called on the Sub-Committee to request records of journalists who had received two plots under earlier schemes, in the interest of transparency and to prevent duplicate allotments.
Discussion also touched on the eligibility status of employees from the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) and Pakistan Television (PTV). The DG FGEHA clarified that APP staff hold membership in the Islamabad Press Club, while PTV employees do not.
The Convener directed the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to forward a summary to the Prime Minister’s Office to help resolve pending journalist-related issues, and asked that APP be invited to the next session to address matters concerning its staff. The DG FGEHA committed to raising the 35 pending cases with the relevant authorities.
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The Sub-Committee agreed to revisit all unresolved issues in a month and asked for an updated report from the Plot Selection Committee for Journalists within fifteen days.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
