ISLAMABAD – The management of Pakistan’s widely proclaimed number 1 channel, Geo was exposed before the Supreme Court by renowned journalist Hamid Mir, who admitted that the channel was not paying salaries to its staff.
During the hearing of a suo motu case on Wednesday regarding the nonpayment of staff salaries by media house owners, Hamid Mir blew the lid off Geo and confirmed that the newsmen associated with the channel did not receive their salaries for the month of February and March.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Aijaz ul Ahsan and Justice Umer Atta Bandial conducted the hearing of the case and ordered the management of Geo to pay all pending salaries to its employees by April 30.
The bench visibly seemed perturbed over the issue and ordered the media house to pay the salaries even if it has to “beg or borrow”.
Not only that, the court also clarified it will shut down TV channels where owners do not pay their staff, remarking that employees are the backbone of any organisation.
Besides the anchor of ‘Caital Talk’, two Geo News reporters told the bench that their salaries for the last two months are pending upon which the bench summoned Jang Group HR Director Salar Janjua, who accepted the delay.
Janjua, however, assured the bench that the management had started paying salaries and it is expected that all staff salaries will be cleared soon.
Despite assurance, the bench sought an affidavit from the Geo CEO with an undertaking that staff salaries will be paid by April 30.
Earlier, the bench directed all TV channels to compensate their employees by April 30.
