Former MD and Chairman of PTV Arshad Khan has said that the television industry is a highly creative and highly competitive field.

In an exclusive interview with Jang in Dallas, Texas, Arshad Khan said that his background was very simple. He did his primary education from a government school, later pursued a degree in electronics engineering and later completed his Masters. Later joined a multinational company.

On the internal situation of PTV, he said that huge amount of money was being spent on marketing and prime time broadcasting hours, but these hours had been outsourced to a large extent. Production of dramas at the institution had almost come to a complete halt, revealing the fact that the country’s state-run broadcaster faced serious problems such as a lack of internal creativity.

It should be noted that during the regime of founder PTI, Arshad Khan was removed from the post of MD as a result of his conflicts with the then Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry.

Arshad Khan has also been awarded the Star of Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.

Arshad Khan asserted that the television sector is a highly creative and highly competitive field, which cannot be considered a secure job like railways, post office or other civil service groups like DMG or police. According to him, new content has to be produced every half an hour, which requires constant creativity.

Arshad Khan also spoke openly on the overall governance of Pakistan. According to him, the biggest problem of the country is governance, institutions are either not formed on time, or even if they are formed, they fail to maintain them on a long-term basis.

He said that he got the chance to head PTV three times but never took personal advantage in matters like recommendations, transfer postings or distribution of jobs during his tenure.

Arshad Khan advised the youth of Pakistan and abroad that they should be patient and try to understand the situation. One should avoid looking for shortcuts to overnight success or wealth.