I came home exhausted from field reporting, and at 8 p.m., I received the news of my immediate termination through a WhatsApp message. I immediately contacted my colleague, Suheera Tariq, telling her that I had been terminated without any reason. My surprise increased further when Suheera told me that she had received the same message. Amid this anxiety, when colleagues started contacting one another, it became clear within a short while that all employees of the Multan bureau had been terminated altogether, without any notice and without any stated reason. Alishba Asif, Former Reporter, Rohi TV.
Alishba says that the channel’s new management had kept them completely uninformed about the matter. The way the employees were forcibly removed from their jobs was highly inappropriate. That evening, a list was sent to the WhatsApp group of the Multan bureau office, from where the list went viral across all the channels. This was particularly distressing for all of them. According to former Rohi TV reporter Suheerah Tariq, the new management itself is the main reason behind this crisis. Since suddenly losing their jobs, not all the reporters have been able to find new employment to date, because of which they are facing financial and mental problems. Although they intended to continue journalism partially, financial instability has prevented them from working on any good investigative story, because institutional support and financial stability are essential for such stories.
Suheerah further said that even after this incident, some employees have left the channel because of the management’s attitude. Meanwhile, among the employees who were dismissed, those who agreed to accept one month’s salary were forcibly made to write down and record a video stating that they had been informed one month earlier that their employment would be terminated. According to her, all the employees, including herself, worked at the organization for a decade. The organization owes them three months’ salaries and gratuity. Meanwhile, the new management has increased the salaries of all employees by 10 percent this year. According to her, the claim of financial difficulties at the organization does not appear to be credible.
According to Suheerah, since the new management does not belong to the media industry, key positions in the organization, including the Director News and other positions, have still not been filled, while the role of Human Resource Manager has also not been permanently assigned to anyone. Former Rohi TV reporter Waseem Shehzad says that after working in the media industry for ten years, suddenly finding employment in a new field is extremely difficult. Multan is a small city, while the media industry is also shrinking. This directly affects employees. As a result, their economic independence is being deeply affected.
Regarding the forced termination of reporters, former President of the Multan Press Club Shakeel Anjum said that he had formally participated in the protest held in this regard. He had shared his concern with the channel management that journalists are the only means of taking social issues to government institutions. If the channel itself keeps these employees entangled in mental and financial problems, an important aspect of social reform will be completely neglected. However, he did not receive any clear or satisfactory response from the channel management. Nevertheless, he continues to stand with local journalists on this issue and has mentioned the incident on various forums from then until now so that the channel management may reconsider its decision.
Zahoor Chaudhry, the lawyer representing the affected reporters and staff of Rohi TV, said that the channel informed 36 reporters and other staff members of their immediate termination through a WhatsApp message on the night of July 6, following which the employees began protesting. A few days later, channel management announced that it would pay one month’s salary, which 13 employees agreed to accept, while 23 employees sought justice through the courts. Twelve weeks later, a lawyer on behalf of the channel management claimed to have taken up the case. The channel is expected to submit its response at the hearing scheduled for November 6. As labor court issued a last warning to the channel management to submit their formal response.
The sudden dismissal of 36 Rohi TV employees in Multan has left journalists facing financial hardship, unpaid salaries and legal battles, exposing wider weaknesses in job security and labour protections across Pakistan’s struggling media industry.
He said that according to the employees’ contracts, even if they were terminated without any notice, they would still be entitled to two months’ salaries. However, the announcement of one month’s salary was also made after the employees’ protest. Fifty-six employees were working at the Rohi TV Multan bureau, of whom a list was issued naming 36 employees for termination. After this, the new owner, who belongs to the real estate industry and is candidate for a provincial seat from an urban constituency of Lahore, had announced, after purchasing the channel, that he would further expand it.
However, following this incident, the remaining staff of 20 employees at the Multan bureau, which included cameramen, drivers and NLE staff, had been shifted to Lahore. But only three of them are now working there, while the remaining staff have resigned because of the management’s attitude. This situation has emerged at a time when Pakistan’s media industry is already facing issues such as financial difficulties, job losses, non-payment of salaries and weak labor protections. According to the International Federation of Journalists’ Pakistan Press Freedom Report 2025-26, economic pressures have increased issues such as wage arrears, job losses, weak labor protections and the closure of media organizations. The report also mentions job losses and the closure or changes in operations at various media organizations, including NewsOne, Nukta and Dawn News TV.
Withholding employees’ salaries by media channels is not a new practice, as evidenced by data obtained from the PEMRA Complaints Council. According to the data, six complaints regarding non-payment of salaries were received in the last two months of 2024, 19 in 2025, and 16 during the first nine months of 2026. However, most journalists are also unaware of this Complaints Council, which can assist them in recovering their salaries. The Council is responsible for resolving all complaints within 40 days. Malik Shaban, Deputy Director Labor Welfare, Khanewal, explained that there are multiple forums available to employees seeking redress against unfair decisions by an employer. In such cases, a journalist should first submit a written complaint to the channel management. If there is no response, the employee can approach the relevant labor forum with supporting evidence, including an employment letter or contract, proof of termination, salary records and a copy of the written complaint submitted to the management.
He said that if the Rohi channel has terminated its reporters without any prior notice, they have two options. The first option is to seek reinstatement; they can file a claim under Section 33 of the Punjab Industrial Relations Act to be restored to their positions and recover any outstanding dues. Alternatively, the terminated employees may demand the payment of all dues owed to them under the terms of their contracts. In this scenario, they would file a claim with the relevant authority established under the Payment of Wages Act within the appropriate territorial jurisdiction; however, reinstatement is not possible under this approach. Regarding the recovery of dues, there are precedents where the Labor Court and the Labor Welfare Department successfully secured the payment of millions of rupees in outstanding dues for employees terminated by a prominent Pakistani newspaper. Furthermore, under labor laws, if an employer makes unlawful deductions from an employee's wages or withholds their salary, the competent court invoking provisions related to delayed or withhold wages can award compensation of up to ten times the amount deducted. The application of this legal provision depends on the specific nature of the case.
Journalists working for electronic media can also approach the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Council of Complaints regarding non-payment of wages, salaries and other dues. Depending on the nature of the dispute, employees may also have access to other labour forums and remedies under the applicable labor laws. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, while speaking in July 2026 about the financial difficulties faced by media organizations and the employment security of journalists, said that several TV channels were facing severe financial difficulties, while some organizations were also shutting down. He also stressed the need for a comprehensive policy regarding employment security for journalists.
Attaullah Tarar also said that the government was trying to ensure that the dues of media organizations were paid on time and that whenever the dues of media organizations were paid, the employees’ rights should be given priority, and their pending salaries should be released. Regarding sudden terminations, he said, “It is not acceptable for an employee to be given notice in the morning and dismissed from employment in the evening.” According to Attaullah Tarar, the government is also working on introducing a new policy to ensure the financial stability of the media industry and create better employment opportunities for journalists. According to him, the rates of government advertisements for TV channels were reduced under the policies introduced in 2019, the effects of which are still present in the media industry.
In the case of Rohi TV, an important question is also whether the organization was facing any financial or administrative crisis, or whether the 42 employees were dismissed as part of restructuring by the new management. The affected employees consider the new management to be the main reason behind the crisis; however, the organization’s management’s position will be important in determining what the actual reasons were for suddenly dismissing such many employees. In this regard the former director news Karam Elahi Gondal & current CEO of Rohi TV Maaz Nazeer Chauhan were approached via WhatsApp but didn’t respond to the questions related to this issue. The Rohi TV incident has once again raised the question of what practical system exists to ensure the employment, dues and job security of journalists working in media organizations when those organizations face financial or administrative difficulties. Because economic instability is not merely a matter of an employee losing their job; it can also affect their professional freedom and the quality of journalism.