The tale of Pakistani media outlets laying off journalists without prior notices in an open disregard to their services when the organizations do not need them has come to the fore many times before while the unfair treatment with the media workers continues to this day.
Another piece of the puzzle surfaced when a veteran reporter associated with, Nawaz Raza, was summoned and handed over the letter that he was sacked from his job.
Nawaz was serving as the Nawaiwaqt’s Bureau Chief Lahore and his journalistic career was 45-years-long.
He was so disheartened and dismayed at the decision that he did not talk much and had watered-eyes.
The laid-off journalist got on in his car and rode away as his career ended up in a way how it should not have been.
صحافیوں کے استاد، چیف رپورٹر نوائے وقت نواز رضا کے 45 سالہ شاندار کیریئر کا افسوسناک اختتام ___!
ایٹمی دھماکوں سمیت بیشمار صحافتی سکوپس کے خالق کو لاہور بلا کر برخاست کر دیا گیا
وہ جس کے شانے پہ ہاتھ رکھ کر سفر کیا تو نے منزلوں کا
تری گلی سے نہ جانے کیوں آج سر جھکائے گزر گیا وہ pic.twitter.com/90r3GzpO0f— Asif Bashir Chaudhry (@asifbashirch) January 18, 2021
This is not the only occurrence where a seasoned journalist in Pakistan had to face such treatment from the owners.
There are many pages in the book which are still counting and seem to never end.
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Pakistani media outlets keep fueling the outcry of the journalists as irrespective of their age and experience, they suffer unfair treatment by the owners and sacked unreasonably.
However, the proprietors of media organizations abstain from disturbing the blue-eyed officials occupying top positions.
The honed sword of ousting is used only on the media workers that are rather hardworking and diligent in their duties.
Faisal Shakeel was working as the bureau chief of Samma TV and was recently ousted.
While talking to News360, he asserted that Samma wanted its employees to work 8-hour shifts like banks and factories.
“This is not the tradition of a journalistic organization “Faisal Shakeel contended.
Moreover, the ex-Samaa Bureau Chief expressed that only blue-eyed employees get promoted and all those who work hard and diligently are ignored.
“Journalists cannot do stories that are against the policies of the channel”, he said and asserted that if there was nothing against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the channel pressurizes them for nitpicking.
The favorites close to bosses remain intact even if the media houses suffer economically. They become ancillaries of the organizations and subsume such that the outlets cannot function without them.