Punjab Union of Journalists (PUJ) on Thursday expressed its satisfaction over the urgent hearing of cases of journalists and media workers in the Implementation Tribunal for Newspapers Employees (ITNE) that were pending for years.

PUJ President Ibrahim Lakki and General Secretary Khawar Baig appreciated the ITNE’s initiative to hear the pending cases on an urgent basis. They said that the tribunal has so far concluded hundreds of cases to provide justice to the journalists and media workers, while notices have been issued to start hearing in more than 200 cases.

They also hailed the tribunal’s decision to hold the online hearing in some cases. “As per available information, the ITNE Chairman Shahid Mahmood Khokhar helped in the clearing of over Rs15 million dues of the media workers in just one month after he took the charge,” PUJ said in a statement.

It added that the Nawa-i-Waqt Group cleared Rs15 million in dues and Daily Pakistan (Islamabad) cleared Rs750,000 of its dues. PUJ officials said it was for the first time after the Supreme Court, that a tribunal has provided the facility of online hearing and “We are thankful to the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb who directed the Press Information Department to provide the tribunal with the facility.”   

They also thanked the ITNE Chairman Shahid Mahmood Khokhar for proving justice to the affected journalists and voiced hope that the tribunal will soon conclude all the cases.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP