Islamabad, November 10, 2026: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday voiced serious concern over non-payment of salaries to media workers and rising layoffs by media houses, directing the Ministry of Information to submit a comprehensive report and way forward within 15 days.
The meeting, held at Parliament House, was chaired by MNA Pullain Baloch. The committee observed that delays in salary payments and termination of employees without prior notice, as well as without meeting contractual obligations, were serious issues affecting the livelihood and welfare of media professionals.
The committee asked the ministry to present a clear strategy to address the matter and ensure payment of outstanding salaries to media workers.
Briefing the committee, the secretary of the ministry said the government was regularly releasing payments against dues payable to media outlets. However, he said it was incomprehensible that media outlets were not fulfilling their obligations. He further informed the committee that, on its direction, details of outstanding salaries had been sought but had not yet been received from the representative organisation of media workers.
The committee called for effective coordination among the ministry, media outlets and representative organisations to resolve the issue. It directed the ministry to engage all relevant stakeholders, obtain the required details of pending salaries and submit a concrete plan of action within the stipulated period.
The committee was also briefed on the incident involving an assault on the chairman of the Press Council of Pakistan. It was informed that the matter was pending adjudication. The ministry had already taken cognisance of the matter and ordered an investigation into the allegations and issues involved, with the investigating committee asked to submit its report within 60 days.
It was suggested that deliberations on the issue be kept pending until completion of the investigation. In view of the pending judicial proceedings and the inquiry ordered by the ministry, the committee decided to defer discussion until the conclusion of both processes. The committee noted that any discussion at this stage could lead to overlapping proceedings or potentially prejudice the matter under consideration.
Later, the committee was apprised of the working and performance of the Central Board of Film Censors. It was informed that following recent amendments to the Motion Picture Ordinance 1979, the nomenclature of the board would be changed, besides several changes in its composition aimed at enhancing its working.
The committee expressed concern over the absence of a unified central forum for film certification in the country. It observed that the existing arrangement, under which provinces have their own film certification mechanisms, could result in inconsistencies in certification standards and regulatory practices.
The committee stressed the need for greater coordination and uniformity among federal and provincial authorities to ensure a coherent and harmonised framework for film certification across the country. It also underlined the importance of examining the matter in consultation with all relevant stakeholders to develop an effective mechanism that promotes consistency while respecting constitutional jurisdictions.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Kiran Imran Dar, Kiran Haider, Shaheen, Salahuddin Junejo, Mehtab Akbar Rashdi and Rana Ansar, the secretary of the Ministry of Information, the PEMRA chairperson and officers of the departments concerned.
