Express Tribune lays off reporting team in Peshawar

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 18 November 2018

The Express Tribune has downsized its operations in Peshawar by laying off its reporting team. This move leaves only one translator remaining at the office.

Summary

PESHAWAR – Continuing its downsizing, The Express Tribune on Saturday laid-off the last remaining members of its reporting team in Peshawar.

An insider tells JournalismPakistan.com that three senior reporters – Riaz Ahmed, Sohail Khattak, and Hidayatullah Khan - were told to resign.

Umer Farooq, a fourth reporter was transferred to Express-News Television a couple of weeks ago.

The management promised to pay the terminated journalists three-month salaries.

With this latest round of layoffs, only a translator is now left at the Express Tribune’s Peshawar office. He too is likely to leave soon.

Izharullah, who at one time worked at the Express Tribune tweeted: “Really sad to hear Express Tribune laid off all its Peshawar reporters and my former colleagues. We worked together and have contributed really good stuffs to the ET pages at the time @IftikharFirdous was looking into the city pages. Wishing good luck to all my friends.”

Really sad to hear Express Tribune laid off all its Peshawar reporters and my former colleagues. We worked together and have contributed really good stuffs to the ET pages at the time @IftikharFirdous was looking into the city pages. Wishing good luck to all my friends.

— Izharullah (@Izhar2u) November 17, 2018

Earlier this month, the paper fired six reporters from its Karachi center.

KEY POINTS:

• Three senior reporters were terminated from the Peshawar office.
• Umer Farooq was transferred to Express-News Television prior to the layoffs.
• Management promised severance of three-month salaries to the laid-off staff.
• Only one translator remains at the Peshawar office after the layoffs.
• Earlier in the month, six reporters were also fired from the Karachi center.