Pakistan’s state-owned television to begin high-definition transmission this year

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Chaudhry announced on Wednesday that the country’s state-owned television news channel, PTV News, would begin its high-definition transmission from June 1 while also promising the same technological upgradation for PTV Sports during the course of this year.
In a brief Twitter thread, Chaudhry informed that Pakistan Television Corporation would also launch a channel in English to enhance its outreach.
“The revival of film and drama is our first priority,” he said in a social media post written in Urdu. “We are beginning to work on the lives of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan [an Islamic reformer] and Tipu Sultan [a Muslim ruler who resisted the onslaught of the British East India Company].”
He added that the government would offer up to Rs50 million in loans to young filmmakers to help them unleash their creative potential.
Chaudhry, who was recently assigned the information ministry for a second time under the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf administration, said he wanted to turn the Associated Press of Pakistan into a digital news agency and help strengthen the media community by facilitating them through the prime minister’s housing project and health insurance scheme.
He noted it was his policy to support digital media in the country, adding that he also intended to introduce a legislation to ensure that journalists were paid their salaries by owners of media houses on time.
Other than that, Chaudhry expressed his intention to provide more facilities to press clubs across Pakistan.

Pakistan’s state-owned television to begin high-definition transmission this year