SUKKUR: A big convention of journalists on Thursday warned federal government that they would not stop protests, demonstrations and criticism unless the government accepted their 19 points, which included demand for payment of dues and emoluments to underpaid journalists under 8th Wage Board Award.

They would not stop writing against injustices of the federal government against journalists and common people of Pakistan. Journalists were picked up and subjected to torture and then reports were also lodged against them under sections of Anti-Terrorism Act, said leaders at the convention which was organised by Pakistan Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Sukkur Union of Journalists. It was titled “Legislation, regulation and media crisis: the way forward” at Sukkur Press Club.

President PFUJ Shehzada Zulifqar, Nasir Zaidi and MNA Nafeesa Shah criticised Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority and termed it a black law against press freedom in Pakistan.

They warned the federal government and its agencies would not be able to stop the tsunami which was preparing to start from Quetta on Nov 9 and march via Sindh, South Punjab and Central Punjab to parliament house in Islamabad where the participants would observe a sit-in and not end it till the arbitrary law was abrogated and underpaid journalists were paid dues under the 8th Wage Board Award implemented in 2019.

Demands include payment of dues, salaries under Wage Board Award

They informed the gathering that they had struggled for press freedom since 1950, braved many military regimes and stood against many army and civil dictators but “this federal government is the worst of all governments of the past”.

They claimed that no former prime minister was so much “shameless” as the present one. “The prime minister and his federal ministers talk about religion much too often and claim to turn Pakistan into Riasat-i-Madina but in reality they do not know anything of Islam because their policies are destroying life and property of common Pakistanis,” they said.

They said that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had not alleviated poverty rather it had compelled common Pakistanis to commit suicide because the poor could not feed their families due to extraordinary inflation. About 45 journalists were killed under PIT rule because they exposed social and governmental injustices, they said.

They said that they would not stop writing against federal government’s injustices against journalists and common Pakistanis and they were not alone in their struggle. APMS, CPMS, Pakistan Broadcasting, union of news editors and union of editors also stood by them are with them.

The convention was attended by journalists of Upper Sindh, from Kashomre to Nawabshah and Ubauro to Sukkur, advocates, members of trade unions, business community and anchors of TV channels, photographers, cameramen, Wapda union, labour union and civil society members and workers.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2021