'Sell your Bentley cars and pay your employees,' CJP Nisar tells media house owners
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Chief Justice Saqib Nisar on Friday warned that the apex court will take action against the media houses that have still not paid salaries to their employees, if they did not clear all dues soon.
While hearing a request filed by Tayyab Baloch, the president of Press Association of Supreme Court, Justice Nisar said the court will take action against media houses — that have not paid their employees — under the Revenue Recovery Act and suggested the companies' lawyers to read it.
Pervez Shaukat, who was representing media employees along with Baloch, told the court that the media workers did not have money to pay their children's school fee because they had not received their salaries. He claimed that the media houses had received billions to speak against the judiciary.
The apex court ordered Capital TV to pay their employees by December 5 while Daily Times, Nawai Waqt, The Nation, Bol News, 7 News, Star Asia and Khabrain were given until December 15. Moreover, the ARY group was also ordered to pay two employees whose salaries had been withheld.
Justice Nisar warned that if the media houses failed to comply with the court's order, they will face contempt charges and their owners will be sent to jail.
The chief justice ordered Capital TV to submit the copies of the cheques and an affidavit after paying withheld salaries. When Justice Nisar asked if claims of not receiving salaries were false, the representative of Capital TV said that the workers had "exaggerated the situation".
Daily Times' council told the court that employees had been paid two months' salary and had yet to pay them for two more months.
Justice Nisar ordered the media houses to pay their employees even if they have to "beg or borrow loans".
"Sell your Bentley cars and pay your employees," he told the media house owners.
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On DawnNews
Comments (48) Closed
Nov 30, 2018 07:58pm
And they highlight everyone's sins. Shameful.
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Nov 30, 2018 08:26pm
Supreme Court is making Channel owners to pay their unpaid employees. Why this act is restricted only to journalists.
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Nov 30, 2018 08:48pm
Why they haven't been arrested in the courtroom?
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Nov 30, 2018 08:58pm
Media houses make tens of billions through intensified advertisements but don’t ready to pay poor employees salaries. Very cruel indeed.
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Nov 30, 2018 09:00pm
Well Done Mr. Justice. Now it seems that there is a law otherwise Media Houses were having own direction and it seems that they are untouchable.
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Nov 30, 2018 09:10pm
Good job sir. If the do not comply with the court orders, they should be sent to jail. That will teach them lesson.
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Nov 30, 2018 09:20pm
Just shut down the channels if they are unable to pay.
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Nov 30, 2018 09:28pm
So this is how media works in Pakistan.
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Nov 30, 2018 09:47pm
Love it..."sell your bentley and pay your employees" :)
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Nov 30, 2018 10:10pm
@Mansur Ul Haque, What a dumb question?
SC giving verdict for the case bought to them.
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Nov 30, 2018 10:15pm
Salute to people's Chief Justice.
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Nov 30, 2018 10:51pm
There is a reason why we have 40 news channels paying millions to their top employees. The government ads shouldn't have existed in the first place. It's a good thing this government ended that. The better ones should survive the 'crunch' we dont need 40 channels with same low standards.
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Nov 30, 2018 10:54pm
This is significant crime, if business is doing business while not paying to employees, only exemption is declaring bankruptcy.
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Nov 30, 2018 11:22pm
@Philosopher (From Japan), you must be talking about foreign media.
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Nov 30, 2018 11:29pm
CJP also must order the Governement not to withhold advertisements to punish these media houses which is the main reason that these media houses are in such dire straits financially speaking. There is no IMF for them only the Govt.
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Nov 30, 2018 11:45pm
One of my works in a Regional Language News channel. He asked his boss for a raise and Boss tells him that situation is tight these days. This conversation happened in Boss's new SUV.
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Dec 01, 2018 12:07am
Long Live health CJ you are the real hero to teach every one lesson
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Dec 01, 2018 12:14am
Good going Chief. The next in line Supreme Court Chief Justice are from the same lot of honest officers. Good luck looters your time is up!
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Dec 01, 2018 12:42am
Effect of govt stoppage of ads to these channels and now the situation has reached to this point within two months.. IK will not dole out money like his predecessors...
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Dec 01, 2018 12:49am
Media houses are no longer getting the funds from Govt against Advertisement. Moreover, there foreign funding is also been stopped by Govt.
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Dec 01, 2018 02:01am
Ads stopped, journalists disappear, salaries unpaid, owners threatened. They are only comfortable when media is singing their praise!
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Dec 01, 2018 02:21am
I would humbly request CJP not to please make any facetious comments but just make good judgments. Thanks.
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Dec 01, 2018 02:41am
How about asking government to clear payments for services already rendered?
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Dec 01, 2018 03:22am
@Iqbal A. malik, that is rude.
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Dec 01, 2018 03:23am
This is going as message to any business owner in Pakistan... Future and present....
Is it good message or bad, time will tell
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Dec 01, 2018 04:12am
Even when the CJP says some thing that is right; he needs to be mindful of the fact that he is not hter to make public policy or business statements btu to provide justice only in cases brought to the Supreme court. If the CJP keeps waxing eloquent on subject matters; how can he assure people that he is unbiased when the subject matter comes up to him for judgment.
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Dec 01, 2018 04:19am
@Mansur Ul Haque, why not? the free press is busy criticising he government reducing ads while driving Bentleys, and not paying their employees. shameful.
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Dec 01, 2018 04:21am
@Sajjad Memon, exactly the poInt made by the CJP.
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Dec 01, 2018 04:21am
@Gaur, worked, past tense. no.more.
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Dec 01, 2018 04:48am
@Saad, Because they are not poor, only poor people get arrested. Tell me any rich person is behind the bard. Nawaz Shareef, Asif Zardari, Sjbaz Shareef, Daniya, Tallal Choudry etc.
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Dec 01, 2018 05:48am
Great decision. These so called news houses highlight others sins but not thiers.
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Dec 01, 2018 05:54am
CJP SC doing good one by one. The whole system is bad. Lot of time needed.
Everyone must change itself, then only things will change.
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Dec 01, 2018 06:00am
Best Man in Pakistan
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Dec 01, 2018 06:20am
Hail to the Chief!
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Dec 01, 2018 06:47am
All employees have been paid by Capitol TV through July, this year.
After that they are working on their own time ... no pay, only meals, taxi and experience.
Mr CJP is welcome to pay their salaries.
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Dec 01, 2018 07:00am
The Chief Justice is an honorable man. He cares about the poor and talks sense. Pakistan is lucky to have him as Chief Justice.
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Dec 01, 2018 07:17am
Selling second hand cars to meet ends seem to be the flavor of the season in Pakistan.
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Dec 01, 2018 07:20am
Well it's a two pronged program this point onwards - poultry farm and selling Bentleys!!!
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Dec 01, 2018 07:25am
Well done our great CJ.
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Dec 01, 2018 08:26am
What the Mercedes S class given by Govt?
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Dec 01, 2018 08:28am
However, lawlessness will prevail until and unless there is a strong presence and implication of law in every matter.
This is only one instance where employers are unlawful and free to make their own rules but almost at every stage almost same situation exists for example look at the child labour cases, what do the employers do. Under what rules and regulations they feel themselves bound.
They feel totally free to set their rules.
A plenty of CJP s are needed to change the whole set up.
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Dec 01, 2018 09:23am
@Mansur Ul Haque, They must be kept happy for obvious reasons.
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Dec 01, 2018 01:07pm
Making such statements means nothing .....unless it is backed up by firm action.
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Dec 02, 2018 03:55pm
@Basheer T, are you from capital TV? If you are so have u received salary for month of July..?? I work in capital TV Karachi office and Last salary we had for June after that we didn't see salary yet..
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Dec 03, 2018 12:14am
Each dishonest in political, paid media-houses, business arena got be brought to justice! Enough is enough! It’s time to payback! Good for CJ to be strong and bold to fix the culture of bribes and unjust enrichment! Only if Juduciary is strong, all the ills can be held accountable and brought to justice!
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Dec 03, 2018 12:41am
@Rajesh, You should abstain from talking negatively about Pakistan when India itself is still the poorest country on this planet. Your performance raising the living standard of the poorest of the poor should be outright embarrassing .. from $ 360.00 per capita in 1960 to $1960.00 in 2017 ( in 58 years) whereas a country of equal population with far more and widespread poverty and NO help from outside under worst political system has pulled more than half of its population out of poverty...In case you do not know, the largest number of poor people still live in India... as many as half of the world population of poor living on Rs Ind 26.00 a day.
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Dec 03, 2018 01:41am
CJP need to also focus on resolving cases in the Supreme Court and order to investigate the corruption in lewer judiciary system
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Dec 03, 2018 05:55am
Close most of these irresponsible Media Houses. They are nothing but dirty tools of dishonest politicians.
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