PESHAWAR, Jan 9: On the orders of the chairman, Implementation Tribunal for Newspapers Employees, Justice (retd) Jawed Nawaz Gandapur, appointment letters were issued to 12 employees of a local Urdu newspaper.

The chairman was informed on Wednesday by the management of daily Al-Akhbar that it had issued appointment letters to 12 of its employees. The employees had filed applications before the tribunal, praying that the management should be directed to provide them with proper appointment letters.

The applications were disposed of after the employees conceded that they had been issued the letters.

In the case of the employees of English daily The Frontier Post and Urdu daily Maidan, the tribunal fined the editor of the two dailies, Jalil Afridi, Rs2000 for his non-appearance before the tribunal.

The chairman also ordered that the amount recovered from the editor should be distributed among the employees. The employees had filed applications against the management for non-payment of their outstanding dues. During the last hearing of the case the court had directed the editor to appear in person.

The tribunal also took up an application filed by an employee of Din, Muhammad Ishtiaq. As nobody from the management appeared, the chairman issued arrest warrants against the editor.

In another case, the management of Urdu daily Subah informed the chairman that it had issued appointment letters to eight of its employees and given wage award to two employees.

The tribunal will hear cases of employees of other newspapers here for two more days.