BOL News has reportedly taken senior anchor Absa Komal off air after she publicly raised concerns about delayed salaries and the treatment of media workers in Pakistan.
Komal made the remarks at a Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists event in Karachi, saying journalists at her organisation had gone three months without being paid. She argued that newsroom staff were being treated like “second-class citizens” and made to feel as though they had to beg for their own wages.
The appearance was widely shared on social media. Soon afterwards, journalists and commentators said BOL had stopped Komal’s programme in retaliation for her remarks. ThePrint reported that she lost her position a day after speaking at the union event. BOL News had not issued a public explanation at the time of publication.
Journalists rally behind Absa Komal
Senior journalist Hamid Mir said those who invited Komal to the protest camp and asked her to speak should now organise another camp outside BOL News.
Journalist Kiran Naz described speaking up for one’s own rights and those of fellow media workers as no crime. She said people who raise their voices for what is right should be heard, not silenced.
Matiullah Jan called the reported action “highly condemnable”, arguing that media owners must either protect workers’ rights or tolerate their demands. Asma Shirazi also condemned BOL, saying the channel should pay salaries instead of taking revenge against those who speak the truth.
Former PEMRA chairman Absar Alam said Komal had “just spoken the truth”. Former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair described her as an independent and highly educated anchor, saying there was nothing improper in her remarks and that removing her was condemnable.
Other journalists called for her immediate return to the screen and said the episode exposed a culture in which media workers can report on injustice everywhere except in their own workplaces.
A wider problem in Pakistan’s media industry
Komal previously worked at Dawn News and Geo News before moving to BOL. Her case has renewed attention on a persistent problem across Pakistan’s media sector: salaries delayed for months, abrupt layoffs and limited avenues for employees to seek redress.
The dispute is no longer only about one anchor or one television programme. For journalists supporting Komal, it has become a test of whether media organisations that demand accountability from public institutions will accept the same standard in their treatment of employees.
BOL News has not publicly addressed the allegation that Komal was removed because of her comments, nor has it responded to calls for her reinstatement.
Feature image: Pak Pulse 247 editorial graphic based on the supplied photograph.