ISLAMABAD: The Chairman of the Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE), Mr. Shahid Mehmood Khokhar, issued a bailable warrant for the arrest of Sheheryar Taseer, Chief Executive of Daily Times (Media Times (Pvt) Limited), Lahore, for non-compliance with the tribunal’s orders. The order was issued after the respondent management and its counsel failed to appear before the tribunal, a clear violation of the directives given on June 22, 2023.
The registrar of the tribunal reported that despite multiple attempts to contact Mr. Osama Shahid Khawaja, the learned counsel for the respondent, and Shahzad Kamran, Manager (Finance) of the respondent management, neither of them appeared before the tribunal. The manager (Finance) informed the tribunal that their legal representative was engaged in another case titled Ghulam Murtaza versus Chairman, ITNE, at the Islamabad High Court, which led to the postponement of their appearance at the tribunal.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the continuous non-compliance, Chairman ITNE directed the issuance of a bailable arrest warrant against Sheheryar Taseer, with a surety of Rs. 50,000 and instructed the CCPO Lahore, to ensure Taseer’s presence on the next hearing scheduled for November 13, 2023.
ITNE Orders Daily Times’ Suspension from Central Media List
Moreover, the Secretary Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of Pakistan, EDG; Press Information Department, Islamabad; Secretary Information Department, Government of Punjab; Secretary Information Department, Government of Sindh; and Secretary Information Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have been directed to suspend Daily Times (Media Times, Limited all stations) from the Central Media List. This suspension, effective immediately, was ordered until further notice.
The concerned ministries, departments, and government officials have also been instructed to submit a compliance report before the next hearing. The tribunal’s office has been tasked to promptly convey this order to the relevant ministries, departments, and government officials via courier, telephone, and WhatsApp for immediate compliance.
