Any action against Geo to hit workers: Labour body
LAHORE: The General Secretary of the People’s Labour Bureau (PLB), Punjab, Saleem Mughal, on Thursday said the country’s most popular TV network Geo was being subjected to illegal suspension as the fourth pillar of the state was under attack.
Closing down Pakistan’s largest media conglomerate would lead to economic death of thousands of employees. The rival media outlets, basking in glory at the current unfortunate situation, would also face restrictions, if they allowed the Pemra to take Geo off air, he added.
In a press statement, Mughal said the Jang Group employed thousands of workers and the PLB would join hands with the Geo employees and participate in nationwide protests against the attempts being made by elements within the state to ban the TV network.
He said all the media enterprises should get united and must refuse to become a part of mudslinging, character assassination and other gimmicks in order to increase their ratings.Mughal said the people seeking a ban on Geo should think about the channel’s employees whose livelihood and families were dependent on the earnings from the TV channel. He said it was these workers who would pay the ultimate price for any future decisions.
He said if the media infighting continued, Pakistan’s journalists would suffer from curbs placed on free speech and a suffocating climate of censorship. Mughal said it was the government’s responsibility to stop certain elements from dictating the media outlets and think of the massive unemployment that could result if Geo’s licence was revoked.
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