Revenue stream dries up for tribal press clubs
Mohmand’s club, the first to be established in ex-FATA, is hardest hit
March 08, 2021
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders and workers staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club demanding the release of Op-position Leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Shaikh. PHOTO: JALAL QURESHI/EXPRESS
MOHMAND:
Mohmand Press Club, the first press club of former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), has been in the grip of a severe financial crisis after the merger of the tribal districts in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
It has been unable to pay even its utility bills as previously it received a meager grant of Rs35,000 per month from the political agent, enabling it to pay its bills and provide the much needed internet at the press club for the local journalists as well as pay its employees.
NOWSHERA: The government employees on Tuesday protested against abolition of pension.
They organised a march from the government high school No 1 to Shubra Chowk, Nowshera, and later converged at the press club.
The rally was led by all employees union district president Idrees Khan Hashmi, All Pakistan Clerks’ Association central general secretary Ghulam Sarwar Khan, provincial president of all Class-IV employees union Afsar Khan Kheshgi and others.
Addressing the protesters, Idrees Hashmi said the employees would continue to put pressure on the government to take back the decisions regarding abolition of pension and non-implementation of annual increments.
He said employees also rejected the decision to extend retirement age from 60 to 63 years.