Probe ordered into PTV gaffe over Zardari's speech

Islamabad, Sept 22 : Pakistan's Information and Broadcasting Ministry has reportedly ordered an inquiry into Saturday night's gaffe wherein state owned TV channel, the PTV telecast President Asif Ali Zardari speech after the hotel blast as he was still rehearsing.

Zardari's address to the nation was aimed at sharing the nation's grief after the tragic blast which destroyed the Marriott Hotel. On the President's insistence only, it was decided not to telecast it live, but first record it.

After approving the draft, the President took a few minutes to rehearse the speech and PTV cameras were activated to monitor the rehearsal. What was supposed to be a rehearsal was telecast live, and was also picked up by two private television networks, reported the Dawn.

"The PTV chairman had been clearly directed that the speech would be recorded and the president did not wish it to be a live broadcast but the PTV chairman organised a live telecast and the state media even provided clean feeds to two other TV channels," the paper quoted a source at the Presidency as saying.

According to the paper, before leaving for the US, the President asked Minister of Information Sherry Rehman to undertake the inquiry and the ministry has constituted a team.

Acting Secretary, Information, A.S. Abbasy said: "The committee will submit its report after the president's return."

ANI