Jang group fires hundreds, Journalist unions plan protests

The Jang Group has closed down some of its publications such as Daily Waqt, Awam,Awaz

Lahore: Various journalist associations and media worker unions have seriously denounced the abrubt layoffs of hundreds of media personnel by the Jang Group. They have planned to initiate protests and a movement against what they term as the “economic murder” of journalists.

The Jang Group has closed down some of its publications such as Daily Waqt, Awam, Inqilab, and now Daily Awaz with mass termination of jobs, reports the Punjab Union of Journalists (Dastur). The union says 127 staff were terminated from the Lahore desk, 31 from Rawalpindi, and a few others from Quetta, without notice or severance pay.

MWO President Adnan Shaukat and other journalists have also been infuriated by the action and termed it a cruel act. Union leaders like PUJ (Dastur) President Muhammad Sabir and General Secretary Rehman Bhatta stated that the management of Jang Group has once again driven hundreds of families into poverty.

The Lahore Press Club has also spoken out. Its President Arshad Ansari and other officials condemned the closures and retrenchment. They claimed that the media crisis was being used as a pretext to victimize journalists. The Press Club threatened joint demonstrations by journalist unions and the Punjab Assembly Press Gallery if the actions are not rolled back.

The Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) also issued a strong protest. PUJ President Naeem Hanif and General Secretary Qamar-uz-Zaman Bhatti blamed Jang Group owner Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman for making financial pretexts to evade accountability. They called for the reinstatement of all laid-off employees and their outstanding dues settled.

PUJ officials also demanded the government step in and suspend advertisement payments to Jang Group and stop further advertisements until the matter is settled. A meeting has been convened at the Lahore Press Club on Sunday to finalize the next move.

In a more severe tone, PUJ President Mian Shahid Nadeem and others even called for the government to freeze Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman’s assets if the layoff is not undone.

The Pakistan Federation Union of Journalists Workers has also stated that firing journalists is intolerable in any form and vowed legal action.

Source: Minute Mirror