APNEC demands immediate restoration of Dawn ads

KARACHI: The All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (APNEC) has urged the federal and provincial governments to immediately resume advertisements for Dawn, saying the suspension has created serious financial difficulties for thousands of media workers.

The demand was made during an APNEC meeting held on Thursday at the office of the Pakistan Herald Workers’ Union (PHWU), according to a statement. The session was chaired by APNEC Chairman Shakeel Yamin Kanga and focused on the issues confronting Dawn employees as well as other workers in the media sector.

The participants reviewed in detail the problems being faced by employees and reiterated the need for collective and practical measures to address the concerns of media workers. The meeting also expressed full support for PHWU General Secretary Kalbe Ali.

During the meeting, the confederation called on both the federal and provincial governments to restore advertisements for the newspaper without delay. A resolution seeking the immediate reinstatement of advertisements to Dawn was adopted unanimously by the participants.

Call for unity among media workers

On the occasion, Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) President Tahir Hasan Khan emphasised the importance of solidarity among journalists and other media employees and called for a joint struggle on the issue.

The meeting, according to the statement, underlined that coordinated action was necessary to resolve the difficulties being faced by workers in the media industry. It said the suspension of advertisements had pushed a large number of employees into a severe financial crisis.

Besides office-bearers of the PHWU, those who attended the meeting included APNEC Vice Chairman Dara Zafar, Assistant Secretary General Rana Yousuf, Additional Secretary General Obaidullah, Finance Secretary Muhammad Irfan Ali, KUJ General Secretary Sardar Liaquat Kashmiri, Imtiaz Faran and others.

APNEC’s resolution added to calls from media workers for the restoration of advertisements, with participants stressing that the issue had directly affected the livelihoods of newspaper employees. The meeting reaffirmed support for efforts aimed at resolving the matter through united action.

The statement said the participants remained committed to pursuing practical steps for the protection of media workers’ interests and for addressing the difficulties faced by employees linked to the suspension of advertisements.