STAFF REPORTER Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan Saturday underlined the need for devising an effective mechanism to ensure protecting rights of media workers in collaboration with all stakeholders. She was talking to media persons after visiting the residence of a private TV’s deceased cameraman Fayyaz Ahmed here, who was passing through financial crisis and died of heart attack a few days ago. Appreciating professionalism and dutifulness of the deceased in hard time, she sympathized with members of the bereaved family and assured the government’s full assistance in mitigating their financial woos. The SAPM said the private TV management and the government had decided to give a compensation of Rs 1 million to the bereaved family. Besides, a brother of deceased would be given employment in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, while the government would also arrange a residence under the media workers/government housing scheme and enroll the family in the Benazir Income Support Programme. “Now, the time has come to revisit the comprehensive and long term implementation plan for resolving the issues faced by media workers like Fayyaz,” the SAPM said, adding it was a collective responsibility to protect rights of all media workers including journalists. “Protecting their rights is our responsibility and top priority of Prime Minister Imran Khan.” She said it was regrettable that Fayyaz performed his duties diligently but got wages after his death, describing it an alarming situation and against the Islamic philosophy
