Journalist community hails PM’s order for dues clearance,
Muzaffarabad: (Parliament Times) The prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Raja Farooq Haider Khan has issued special directives to all government departments asking them to submit a report besides ensuring payment of outstanding bills of newspapers within ten days.
While chairing a high level meeting, which was attended by additional chief secretary development Dr. Syed Asif Hussain, Additional chief secretary general Farhat Ali Mir, Secretary revenue Farid Tarar, Secretary Information Ms Midhar Shehzad, Director General Information Raja Mazhar Iqbal and others, the prime minister said that hundreds of people were associated with the media industry of the state and resolving their problems and fulfilling’s their just demands were Government’s prime responsibility. He regrettably noted that the concerned departments were issued directives to clear outstanding bills (development budget) of the newspapers but no action was taken in this regard. The Prime Minister on the occasion directed all the concerned departments to clear the dues with 10 days and submit a report to PM secretariat. He warned that there ignorance or sluggishness at any level won’t be tolerated.
Raja Farooq Haider Khan also stressed the need for removing newspaper owners’ complaints with regard to PPRA rules.
The PM’s timely directions in this regard have send a wave of optimism in media industry that has been under severe financial crunch for last couple of years due to nonpayment of outstanding bills by government departments. This acute financial crisis in the media industry has led to lay-offs, pay-cuts and shutdown of news outlets. Since media industry is struggling for survival, many working journalists have lost jobs in the recent years. The situation is so worse that media workers have not been paid for months.
It is worth to mention here that the bills have remained pending with the concerned departments for last several years. The non-payment of long outstanding bills had a devastating effect on the newspaper industry while on the other it had crippled media workers economically, mentally and physically. The AKNS had earlier taken up the issue with the prime minister who had assured his all-out support but the concerned authorities’ apathy towards this crucial issue had further accentuated the problems of media workers as well as publishers.
Now that the authorities have been issued special directives regarding the clearance of outstanding bills a timely action and response from the relevant departments will be greatly helpful in alleviating financial woes of media workers who are going through tough times.
Publishers as well as the journalists associated with Print media in AJK have expressed great optimism over the development terming the PM’s order for dues clearance as significant step towards the uplift of media industry in the state. They hoped that the immediate release of payments will give a new lease of life to media industry.