CJP Saqib Nisar summons Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court has summoned the editor-in-chief of GEO/Jang Group, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, to appear in court on Tuesday and explain why employees of his media group have not received their salaries for the last three months.

During the hearing of a case related to media commission, the top judge addressed Geo TV’s anchorperson Hamid Mir, who was a petitioner in the media commission case, and remarked that some reporters had complained that their salaries were Rs12,000 and even that was not paid for as long as three months at times.

Justice Nisar pitched a tough question for senior anchor and asked if someone could formulate their budget in Rs12,000, suggesting that the journalist should also raise his voice for such reporters.

The CJP asked Mir about his compensation to which he kept mum, saying that his salary hasn't been issued for three months.

To this, the  CJP replied that an anchor is paid Rs5.2 million and another Rs3.2 million by the media group, however, Mir contradicted it before the  CJP remarked that he had a record of the salaries.

"We will ask him [Rahman] how Hamid Mir's Mercedes will operate if he hasn't been paid for three months," the CJP quipped.

The apex court judge added that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman "can do whatever he wants against me", adding that he would have to answer for the non-payment of salaries to workers.