On May 18, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister Shafi Jan met with a delegation led by Kashif-ud-din Syed, President of the Khyber Union of Journalists, and M Riaz, President of the Peshawar Press Club, at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to address the ongoing nationwide protest movement concerning the challenges faced by media workers.

During the meeting, the delegation highlighted several pressing issues, including forced dismissals of journalists from media organisations, non-payment of salaries, pending dues, and job insecurity. They presented a list of demands on behalf of media employees and engaged in detailed discussions regarding the concerns raised.

Provincial Minister Shafi Jan expressed the need to consider the legitimate demands of journalists and assured them that the provincial government is working to address these issues. He emphasised that the government has taken serious steps in this regard.

Shafi Jan described the dismissal of media workers without prior notice as unfortunate and stated that the government has linked the clearance of newspaper dues to the payment of salaries and outstanding arrears to media workers. He suggested that journalists form a committee to compile data on pending payments and outstanding liabilities to create a comprehensive record of dues owed by media organisations and so that employees’ details could be collected.

The minister also disclosed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has initiated a phased payment of advertisement dues from 2021 to 2025, and has requested lists of employees and their salaries from media organisations. He further clarified that media institutions that do not provide employment opportunities and minimum wages to journalists in the province would not receive government advertisements.

Shafi Jan underscored the importance of resolving the issues faced by the journalist community through dialogue, mutual understanding, and consultation. He announced the introduction of an interest-free loan scheme for journalists in the next fiscal year and emphasised that protecting media workers’ rights requires collective efforts from the government, journalist organisations, and media owners.

Following the assurances given by the provincial minister, the Presidents of the Peshawar Press Club and the Khyber Union of Journalists declared the end of their symbolic protest.