Information minister announces jobs for 37 journalists laid off by digital platform ‘Nukta

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced on Wednesday that 37 journalists laid off by a news website ‘Nukta’ would be hired by other digital platforms this week.

Tarar’s announcement came shortly after Nukta, a Pakistani digital news platform headquartered in Dubai, announced it was laying off 37 journalists in Pakistan as part of a “restructuring” move. 

The platform, founded by prominent journalist and anchor Kamran Khan in October last year, described the move as a “difficult decision” and one it had taken keeping in mind its commitment to long-term sustainability. It did not offer any more details. 

“Since digital media does not have any representation, I am announcing jobs for all 37 people of Nukta,” Tarar told journalists at the Parliament House. 

“They will be employed and within next 48 hours, all of them will be issued [employment] letters by any digital platform and we will give all of them jobs because digital media employees do not have any protection in this country at the moment,” he added. 

Pakistan’s news media landscape has been hit by a financial crunch over the last couple of years, forcing private newspapers and TV channels to wind up operations. 

Media owners have blamed the government for the industry’s deplorable economic condition in the past, pointing to dwindling revenues due to a decline in state advertising over the years. 

Apart from economic hardships, Pakistani journalists have also frequently complained of intimidation and harassment while performing their duties.