The trouble with being in public relations is that one tends to exercise the right to genuinely criticize or differ, even after leaving the organization. And so it seems to be the case with Ghazala Yasmeen, who recently retired as the PTV PRO. As we settle down in her sitting room, Ghazala is the epitome of hospitality. Before I know it, she has already signalled her maid for refreshments. “I like entertaining guests. Perhaps this is one quality that has helped me in my career in public relations.”

‘When we began working, those were different times altogether and now times have changed. But as far as PTV is concerned, it was the best then and it’s still the best even now. There are other channels that have cropped up which are more glamorous but PTV — because it’s a family channel — has its limitations,’ says Ghazala Yasmeen. Her two-decade stint in public relations with PTV now makes it difficult for Ghazala to shed off the cast. Her talk, despite her conscious efforts, reflects her hardcore loyalty to the state-owned channel, an umbilical cord that refuses to be cut.

“We would spend hours memorizing the script out of fear of making a mistake while on air,” says Ghazala. “So much so that once Hamid Kashmiri told me ‘Bibi agar tum ne Quran is tarah yaad kiya hota to hafiz ho chuki hoti’.” Back in the olden days, announcements were also more personal, with the announcer giving a background on the programme which required a certain amount of creativity. Ghazala says she sorely misses those announcements today.

She began her career in television broadcasting with Shab Bakhair Nannay Munnay Dostoon, a short five-minute story-telling daily feature, going on to become an announcer for a good eleven years before trying her hand at production and finally opting for the choppy waters of public relations. Obviously, she’s seen it all. The highs as well as the lows; the good and the bad.

One would think that she, of all people, would be able to make a fair assessment of PTV’s spiralling standard of productions. But that does not seem to be. Despite trying her level best to put up an objective front, the PRO in her keeps surfacing every few minutes, resulting in what sounded anything but a reflective interview. Her thoughts on PTV can be wrapped up in three words: “Hamara PTV mahaan (Our PTV is the greatest).”

Try telling her that PTV of yore has now been reduced to a pleasant memory and she bristles in its defence. “Look, when we began working, those were different times altogether and now times have changed. But as far as PTV is concerned, it was the best then and it’s still the best even now.” She adds: “There are other channels that have cropped up which are more glamorous but PTV — because it’s a family channel — has its limitations.”

For a fleeting second, Ghazala seems to agree that urban viewer ship for PTV has definitely climbed down quite a few pegs. But then, pat comes the answer: “Many channels have emerged. And more importantly, with the remote control in our hands, there is no stability. For example, the moment we see ads on TV, we change the channel. People have lost their focus on any one single channel.” Agreed. But even despite the influx of electronic entertainment, viewers still opt for the likes of Uncle Urfi, Tapish, Khuda ki Basti and Hawwa ki Beti. Isn’t that proof enough that the masses are still pining for quality?

Working for a state-owned organization in Ghazala’s capacity is no mean feat. And for someone who has held the reins for decades, she must have had nerves of steel. “Public relations is as difficult as it’s easy. But I’ve never had to face problems, mainly due to my commitment to work. There were times when I would return home only to get a call from work again. Sometimes even my family would become annoyed. A PRO is a bridge between the media and the organization.” Although her job was to keep both the parties contented (an arduous task by any standards) she still managed to hold her ground quite effectively. Her years on the hot seat saw PTV finally opening doors to a lot of ‘enlightened’ policies, which consequently resulted in a lot of flak for the channel.

“We have aired dramas on bold themes like karo-kari, AIDS, student politics, family planning, etc, and of course we had to face opposition. But our higher authorities dealt with them quite efficiently,” she says.

Today, quite a few PTV employees insist that there is a dire need to infuse fresh blood in the organization. “Ab puranay logon ko nikaal to nahin saktay na. In PTV, they keep auditioning people twice a year and reject very few.”

Focusing on yet another thorny issue, I ask Ghazala about the brain drain from PTV. “PTV is a semi-government organization, which means that employees retire at the age of 60. And since private organizations have no such limitations, people retiring from here join them. Secondly, private concerns pay more, and obviously that’s a major attraction,” she adds in a candid manner.

However, she is quick to point out that at the end of the day it is the PTV producers and directors only whose expertise is being utilized in other channels, which speaks volumes of their worth.

While on the topic Ghazala seemed quite content with the media boom. She says that with new channels cropping up, competition will increase, which will surely help in improving the media scenario at large. “There is more variety. Now the whole world depends on media and it’s good to see it flourishing in Pakistan,” she says. But this could go either way, I argue. Does she think this plethora of private channels has given people undue freedom? “Look, undue freedom is bad in any organization,” she retorts. “If you use your right of freedom in a positive manner, then what’s the harm?”