JournalismPakistan.com | Published March 05, 2020
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ISLAMABAD—Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has condemned the closure of Daily Asian newspaper by its management for unknown reasons.
President PFUJ Shehzada Zulfiqar and Secretary Nasir Zaidi said that the seth mafia has rendered around 60 journalists and workers jobless and put their families in a financial crisis.
They urged the government not to issue declarations and TV licences to those who use them for their gains and blackmail the authorities.
The job opportunities for experienced journalist community is shrinking due to such opportunists which is alarming not only for the media industry but also for the current government, which promised 10 million jobs. All that seems to be in doldrums now, the PFUJ leaders said.
Meanwhile, newspaper management has promised to pay one month’s salary to the employees.
The office-bearers of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and National Press Club staged a sit-in at the offices of the newspaper to record their protest.
June 19, 2020: Urdu newspaper Jehan Pakistan has laid off four reporters and seven newsroom staff in Islamabad, shifting to an online-only format. The management has promised to settle all dues, including three months' wages, for the terminated employees.
May 03, 2020: ARY Digital Network announces a three-month salary cut to cope with the financial crisis due to COVID-19, exempting staff earning up to Rs100,000. DawnNews Television also reduces salaries by 10 percent.
May 01, 2020: DawnNews Television cuts staff salaries by 10 percent and halves fuel allowances amid ongoing financial challenges. This marks the third pay cut in a year, highlighting the severe impact on Pakistani journalists facing layoffs and delayed salaries since 2018.
October 02, 2019: ARY News and Aaj News Television have terminated 150 employees as part of a downsizing strategy, drawing condemnation from the IFJ and PFUJ. This follows previous layoffs at Dunya News, highlighting growing concerns over job security and unpaid wages for journalists in Pakistan.
October 01, 2019: Dunya Media Group has terminated over 80 employees from its Multan station, following similar layoffs in Lahore. The company plans to centralize operations with fewer staff. The move, which includes paying three months' salaries to laid-off employees, has faced condemnation from journalist unions and the IFJ.
September 26, 2019: Aaj News Television has laid off about a dozen employees from its Lahore and Islamabad offices, including assignment editors, reporters, and camerapersons. The terminations were reportedly abrupt, with no prior notice and no payment for three months' salaries as required by contract.
September 25, 2019: 24 News has terminated Sajid Mughal, their Malikwal correspondent, reportedly due to pressure from a political figure. Mughal had recently reported on an audio involving Muhammad Khan Bhatti, which led to his house being occupied and false FIRs filed against him. He claims his dismissal was without a show-cause notice or reason.
August 29, 2019: The Dunya Media Group has laid off 70 employees from Dunya News Television, marking one of the largest job cuts in Pakistani media in the past year. Journalist bodies have condemned the move, demanding the reinstatement of the sacked staff and a government ban on advertisements for media houses that terminate employees.
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