'Pak state radio incurred $9.4m expenses covering Gilani, Zardari's foreign tours'

Islamabad, Feb 1(ANI): Officials of the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) incurred a 9.4 million rupee expenditure in undertaking 49 official overseas visits from March 2008 to February 2011.

The expenditure took into account airfares and daily allowances paid to PBC officials, who accompanied the president and the prime minister to cover their activities abroad for state-run radio.

The daily allowances paid to the visiting officials cost 57474.14 dollars (approximately 5,172,672 rupees) while another 4207267 rupees were spent as airfare.

Pakistan's Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan revealed these details while answering a question raised by senator Tahir Mashhadi.

"It is mandatory to cover the affairs of the head of the state abroad for national media. The PBC officials travelled abroad to fulfil their official responsibilities," The Nation quoted Awan, as saying.

Awan added that Rs359.132 and Rs354.746 million respectively were paid as medical bills of PTV employees during the fiscal year 2009-10 and 2010-11.(ANI)