In a powerful display of solidarity, journalists gathered outside the Quetta Press Club on Sunday to protest against the closure of the Bol TV Quetta Bureau.

Spearheaded by the Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ), the demonstration was marked by passionate chants and fervent demands for justice.

Carrying banners and placards, participants called for the immediate reinstatement of all terminated employees and the payment of outstanding dues of Bol TV Quetta Bureau staff.

Addressing the protest, BUJ President Khalil Ahmed, PFUJ Vice President Saleem Shahid, Quetta Press Club President Abdul Khaliq Rind, and BUJ General Secretary Abdul Ghani Kakar condemned the dismissals, citing a blatant disregard for established rules and procedures. They underscored the financial and psychological hardships faced by the affected journalists and workers.

The speakers highlighted that Bol TV management had failed to provide any legal justification for the bureau’s closure or the termination of its staff. They accused the TV owners of exploiting the economic crisis to perpetuate the financial exploitation of media workers, while the government continues to award substantial advertising contracts to such organizations without holding them accountable.

The protest also criticized the shutdown of other TV channel bureaus in Quetta and the termination of their services. The speakers called on the government to reassess its advertising policy for both electronic and print media outlets, ensuring that these organizations do not exploit their workers financially.

The BUJ appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo moto notice of the longstanding issue of arbitrary dismissals within the TV and newspaper industries.

The speakers made it clear that the journalists of Balochistan would never compromise on their rights and would continue their struggle for press freedom with unwavering determination.