In a significant development in a law suit against Dunya News Television management, former Managing Director of the channel, Faisal Sherjan, has come forward to appear as a witness in the recovery of dues from ex-nazim Mian Amer Mahmood and Yousuf Beg Mirza.

Senior Civil Judge Lahore Rafaqat Ali Qamar is hearing a recovery suit filed by Dunya News’ former Director News Absar Alam for recovery of his salary, dues and damages against the Chairman and CEO of Dunya, Mian Amer Mahmood and the Managing Director, Yousuf Beg Mirza.

Faisal Sherjan is the pioneer of non-public-sector TV news and entertainment in Pakistan. In late 80s’ he introduced CNN in Pakistan by telecasting daily news bulletin on NTM which was privatized by the government.

Being one of the pioneers, Sherjan has vast experience of private sector electronic media at strategy and planning level and has worked in the management of top national and international TV news organizations. In his media career spanning over two decades Sherjan has always stood by the workers.

“What happens in Dunya with the employees is not only unprofessional but travesty,” Sherjan said in a statement. “No organization in today’s age should be able to treat its employees in the manner that Amer Mahmood does,” Sherjan said.

An expert in handling complicated financial issues of mega news organizations, Sherjan had laid the foundation of Dunya News’s financial, administrative and technical structure prior to its launch.

Perturbed over the unethical manner with which Dunya management was destroying the professional and personal lives of its employees, both male and female, through arbitrary sackings, harassment and by unleashing a character assassination campaign against them, Sherjan said: “This industry does not need the insanity of Dunya management. It is incumbent on all of us to make sure that the message gets across loud and clear.” He would issue a formal statement in this regard this week.

Three witnesses have already appeared and recorded their statements and cross examined by the defendants’ lawyer. Former Director News Dunya and leading journalist, Aamir Ghauri, Pakistan’s top brand architect Shahzad Nawaz, who helped build Geo, ARY, PTV and Dunya their look, style, and the brand and senior journalist and former Deputy Controller Dunya News Qaiser Butt, have appeared in the court as witnesses.

The case was filed early this year in the court of Senior Civil Judge Khizer Hayat Minhas by Absar through his lawyer Saad Rasool. After a couple of dates, the judge refused to hear the case when the defendants’ lawyer, Mian Zafar Iqbal Kalanauri, committed contempt of court by declaring Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s national judicial policy as “bullshit.”

A contempt of court application has been moved to the Chief Justice of Pakistan in this regard and it awaits the initiation of a formal proceeding against him as well.

In his plea Absar has penned down the stories of ‘horror house’ that Dunya office is where an inexperienced Mahmood tries to dictate his short-sighted policies to professional and experienced journalists.

Absar has written in his plea that during his stay at Dunya he was under constant pressure from the ex-nazim and his MD to take care of their petty political and personal egos and interests; and to sack employees or slash their salaries. Absar refused to oblige the ex-nazim. – By Ali