ISLAMABAD(National Times)- Members of the Parliamentary Reporters Association (PRA) staged a walkout from the press gallery during Monday’s sitting of the National Assembly to protest layoffs and non-payment of dues by a couple of private TV channels, prompting the information minister to intervene.
Subsequently, a delegation of MNAs and senators, including Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, visited the media room to discuss the issue, while MQM-P senior leader Syed Aminul Haq and other lawmakers spoke about the plight faced by media professionals during their speeches in the house.
Addressing the house later, Tarar said that all government advertisements had been halted to a private TV channel — which recently fired 170 employees — until it provided an explanation for the action and what could be done to arbitrate the issue.
During the interaction, the ad ban on Dawn also came up. Responding to the journalists’ concerns, Tarar announced that ads for Dawn were being resumed. He claimed that ads had been released to DawnNewsTV. “The advertisements for Dawn have been released and a settlement will soon be reached with the newspaper as well,” the minister said after the PRA meeting.
In addition, he said that the management of another TV channel that had not paid its employees for three months had been summoned to Islamabad for discussions.
The minister asked the media owners to “sit down” with their employees to reach a settlement, adding that the overburdening of junior employees “was not acceptable”. He said the federal government could arbitrate if so desired by the negotiating parties, noting, “Representatives of both houses are here and in good numbers.”
“Our biggest responsibility is dues,” Tarar said, adding that he was satisfied that the government had paid all dues in a timely manner, with employees as their priority.
The walkout ended after the discussion and the minister’s assurances that he would take up the matter with the relevant parties.
