Daily Times sacks Peshawar-based senior journalists sans payment of eight-month salary

Khyber Union of Journalists has strongly condemned the management of Daily Times for sacking two senior journalists from Peshawar office of the organisation without any prior notice or payment of their eight-month withheld salaries.

The organization has not been paying salaries to its employees for the last over two years. The union took up the issue with the management directly and through Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and the editor assured the union of clearing all the arrears of the employees, but to no avail.

Due to the worst working condition, decrease in salaries and non-payment of wages, several journalists have already quit the organization. On Saturday Zakir Hasnain, one of the most senior journalists of Peshawar and Maria Tabassum, a senior and committed sub-editor were sacked. Their six-month withheld salaries were also not paid to them.

Arrears to the journalists who have already quit the Daily Times too have not been paid. They include the most prominent cartoonist of the country Zahoor Ahmad, and reporters like Akhtar Amin, Akhtar Ali and others.

President Khyber Union of Journalists Arshad Aziz Malik, general secretary Yousaf Ali, President Peshawar Press Club Saiful Islam Saifi and general secretary Shahid Hameed have asked the management of the Daily Times to review the decision and immediately release the arrears of the journalists. A joint meeting of the union and the press club has been convened to discuss the matter and work out a line of action to ensure protection of the rights of their members.