Pakistani Jourablists Plight

Wages of government employees of pakistan has been increased, in budget 2009-2010 by 15 %. Practice of increasing salary is a “feature of every budget” right from 1996-1997

But do you know that salary of Newspaper employees including Journalists were re-fixed in 2000 under 7^th Wage Board Award which was suppose to operative w.e.f. 1^st July 2000. However, media owners went in the SC got a stay order instead of implementing the same. After 4 year long battle Newspaper Employees won the case from the S.C. Even then media owners again went in the Sindh High Court and got restrain order which is still operative. The media owners counsel taking adjournments of case by one pretext or other.

From 1996-1997 todate salary of law enforcing agencies, armed forces, government employees, private sectors have gone up at lest 200 percent to 300 percent, yet the media owners are do not ready to make payment of the salary of as per price hike & froced to get salary as per 1996 6th Wage Board Award.

Please judge – exploitation of media owners – who considers “media persons do not need to take meal for themselves, their kids, can live without cloth, bread, shelter, medical facilities, and education for their kids, perform their professional assignments without job protection, life insurance, life security? In such environment how a nation can take pride of living in the “reality”.

The journalists – media persons by and large blamed by all the segment of the society for misreporting, misquoting, misinforming. misleading, defaming, each and every institutions, political parties, private sector & even individuals for “acquiring”, various concessions, ulterior motives, however, ground realities are otherwise. It was only and only media owners in both print and electronic having a right to “decide the contents to be published in the print media – or transmitted / air / telecasted in the electronic media. Media persons have just to report. Entire, padding, addition, deletion, twisting the facts, truth…is a “discretion” and right of the media owners. They do not believe on rule of law, truth, reality, abide their legal obligations, make payment to their employees according to law of the land. Yet they claim champion of the human rights, protections of rights of oppressed, depressed classes, independence of judiciary, democracy, respect, decency, grace, honour, dignity of human.

Kindly judge their claims from their practice…

BY

Shamsul Islam Naz
Secretary General
PAKISTAN FEDERAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
12-Nazimuddin Road, F-6/1,
Islamabad, Pakistan.
Phone Office +92(0)51 2870220-1
Facsimile +92(0)51 2870223
Cellular +92(0)300 8665523
http://www.pfuj.info

http://www.shamsulislamnaz.com