ISLAMABAD, June 22: A number of children of journalists held a demonstration outside parliament here on Tuesday to protest against non-implementation of the 7th Wage Board Award for newspapers employees.
At the same time, journalists covering the National Assembly session staged a token walkout. Parliamentary secretary, information, Bilal Ijaz, parliamentary secretary, finance, Omar Ayub, PPP's secretary-general Raja Pervez Ashraf, MQM's parliamentary leader Farooq Sattar, MMA's deputy secretary-general Liaquat Baloch and MNA Samia Raheel Qazi also joined the demonstrators and spoke in support of their demand.
In Lahore, journalists and newspaper employees started holding rallies outside the offices of local newspapers on Tuesday to press their demand for implementation of the 7th Wage Board Award.
They held a rally in front of the offices of The Nation and Nawa-i-Waqt newspapers. It was attended also by office-bearers and members of various trade unions and the Pakistan Labour Party.
Addressing the rally, PFUJ and PUJ leaders urged the government to implement the resolutions passed by the National Assembly and provincial assemblies for implementation of the wage award.
In Peshawar, journalists took out a procession from the Peshawar High Court gate and held a meeting at the NWFP Assembly gate. They criticised what they called a unilateral campaign launched against them by newspaper owners. Lawmakers Sikandar Hayat Sherpao and Zafarullah Khan Marwat addressed the journalists. They called upon newspaper owners to implement the Wage Board award.
