Journalists demand justice for fellow who died of heart attack

'Why hasn’t the government paid its dues? Why don’t journalists receive their salaries on time?' journalists asked

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Journalists chant slogans during a protest in Karachi, Pakistan, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/Files

ISLAMABAD: Journalists staged a protest in front of the Ministry of Information on Thursday against the death of their colleague, Fayyaz Ali, who died of a heart attack earlier this week after not being paid by his employer for 10 months.

"This is our final warning to the government and media channel owners as we have suffered long enough and will not tolerate this repression any more," the protesting journalists said, adding that they would file a case against the TV channel for not giving their colleague his due salary.

“Why hasn’t the government paid its dues? Why don’t journalists receive their salaries on time?

"Who is responsible for the financial death of media workers and their families?" they asked during the protest.

Read more: AEMEND calls for immediate withdrawal of ban on TV anchor

"To stifle the voice of truth, the government is putting restrictions on the media," ‎Pakistan People's Party (PPP) leader Farhatullah Babar said.

"Political parties are standing with journalists in their time of distress," Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Zahid Khan said during the protest.

The protesting journalists said they would continue their struggle until the government and media owners showed responsibility.