ISLAMABAD: The reporters covering the National Assembly proceedings on Wednesday staged a walkout from the press gallery over non-payment of salaries to the workers by various media houses despite receiving outstanding dues from the federal government.

Minister for Communications Murad Saeed and Minister for Energy Omer Ayub Khan met the protesting journalists at the Press Lounge on the directives of Speaker Asad Qaiser and assured them that they would raise their demands on the floor of the house.

Parliamentary Reporters Association secretary general M.B. Soomro told the ministers that a large number of journalists and other media workers had not been paid salaries for months despite the fact that the government had already paid the advertisement dues to the owners of media organisations. He said the workers in a number of newspapers and TV channels had not received salaries even on the occasion of Eidul Azha.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2020