KARACHI: The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) has appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to approve the payment of newspapers’ dues, which has already been cleared by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet, before Eidul Fitr.

In a statement, APNS President Sarmad Ali said that due to the non-payment of overdue dues, newspapers across the country are facing an acute financial crisis and are, therefore, unable to pay the wages of their employees and meet other obligations before Eid.

He said the liquidity crunch has further worsened due to inflation and the rising cost of living caused by an unprecedented increase in petroleum prices. He requested the prime minister to formally approve the pending payment of the outstanding dues of newspapers, which had already been recommended by the ECC earlier this month.

“The APNS is confident that PM Shehbaz will look into the matter personally and ask the cabinet to approve the payment of dues to ease the plight of newspaper workers before Eid,” the statement concluded.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2026