Jobless media graduate commits suicide
JournalismPakistan.com | Published: 18 June 2012 | Arsalan Altaf
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Umair Zahoor, a media graduate from Islamabad, took his own life after struggling to find employment. His case sheds light on the challenges graduates face in the job market.Summary
ISLAMABAD: A year after graduating and frustrated at not finding a job in the media, Umair Zahoor, an alumnus of the Department of Media and Communication Studies, International Islamic University, committed suicide Friday - apparently an overdose of antidepressants.
Umair had topped his class with an excellent CGPA of 3.82/4.00.
Mohsin, a friend and Umair’s class fellow says a few weeks ago Umair had spoken to him about his frustration at being jobless and that he wanted to kill himself.
Umair was the youngest of five brothers who say there was no family pressure on him to earn. His father Raja Zahoor says his son would often talk to his mother about his annoyance at being unemployed.
A few months ago, he got the nod from Nawa-i-Waqt Islamabad where he also did his internship in 2010. He quickly dispatched his documents to the newspaper's Lahore office for final approval but, much to his dismay, never received an appointment letter. This, his brother says, added to his frustration.
Umair was buried at his ancestral hometown Changa Bangial near Gujar Khan on Saturday, June 16, 2012.
(Arsalan Altaf is a journalist who has worked for Daily Times and Dateline Islamabad)
KEY POINTS:
- Umair graduated with a CGPA of 3.82/4.00.
- He was frustrated with his inability to secure a job in media.
- Despite an internship, he never received a job offer from Nawa-i-Waqt.
- His family reports no pressure to earn, yet he felt significant stress.
- His death highlights the urgent issues surrounding graduate unemployment in Pakistan.
