Lights off at BOL

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 28 September 2015

BOL News is experiencing significant challenges, with employees instructed to refrain from coming to work due to ongoing financial issues. After a recent management meeting, no solution was offered to the staff, who have not been paid for six months.

Summary

ISLAMABAD: Uncertainty continued to prevail at BOL News Monday, the staff being told not to come to work on Tuesday.

The management committee comprising senior journalists reportedly met CEO Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh today but the meeting brought no good news for the employees. The staff remains unpaid for six months.

The committee includes Faisal Aziz, Khawar Naeem Hashmi, Nazir Leghari and Amir Zia. They told staffers to expect some decision in two days.

The troubled channel's offices opened partially on Monday after the Eid holidays. However, there was little the staff could do with the lights and computer systems off, insiders told JournalismPakistan.com. The studios, cafe and the gaming zone remained shut, they said.

ARY boss Salman Iqbal, who announced takeover of BOL on August 20, is said to be in Dubai while Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh is still under arrest. His main company Axact was allegedly involved in selling fake degrees.

Sensing the situation was unlikely to improve, many staff members have already quit with several others also weighing their options.

KEY POINTS:

• BOL News staff told not to come to work on Tuesday.
• Employees have not received pay for six months.
• Management committee met with CEO but no solutions found.
• Several staff members have already quit amid uncertainty.
• Channel's operations are severely limited with many areas shut down.