Asif Mahmood
Justice, in this land, is never served hot. It comes cold, often too late — if it comes at all. For working journalists in the print media, this truth hits harder than most. While cameras flash and headlines blaze, the people who fill the pages are often forgotten in the shadows.
Years ago, the state set up the Implementation Tribunal for Newspaper Employees (ITNE) — supposedly to address the grievances of print journalists. But the reality was not that bright. Despite the fanfare, nothing that much happened, if happened. The working journalist remained stuck.
It is perhaps for the first time in recent memory that the ITNE has shown signs of life. Cases that had been dragging on for years are now being heard. Decisions, long overdue, are finally being delivered. It’s a small light in a long tunnel — and it deserves recognition.
Let me be clear: not every complaint filed by a journalist is necessarily right. Truth is not the property of one class. Journalists have their flaws, just as media owners have their burdens. Owners invest, they build institutions, they keep the wheels turning. Their role is vital. But respect must be mutual. A journalist should not have to beg for what is legally his.
At the heart of all this lies a simple idea: justice must be done, and it must be done on merit — and in time. Whether the decision favors the employee or the employer is not the issue. What matters is that a fair decision is reached without delay. Because delayed justice, as we all know, is just another form of injustice.
Our broader system of justice is no cause for comfort either. At a lawyers’ gathering not long ago, former Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa asked a room full of lawyers whether anyone was satisfied with the current judicial system. Not a single hand went up. The Chief Justice gave the system an “F” grade. It was not a verdict. It was a reality check.
When my book on the colonial hangover in our legal system was published, the preface was written by former Chief Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja. He wrote something that still haunts me: a routine legal case in Pakistan takes about 25 years to conclude. Imagine that — a quarter of a century for justice. Now imagine a working journalist caught in that machinery, earning little, fighting a system that moves slower than time itself.
And yet, amid all this gloom, something good is happening. At a recent gathering at the Press Club, I was told that the ITNE has resolved over 500 cases in the past year and a half. That’s no small feat. It may not make headlines, but it deserves applause.
The Chairman of ITNE and his team deserve credit. It doesn’t matter whether a decision goes in the journalist’s favor or not. What matters is that the decision comes — that the process doesn’t drag on forever.
In a country where justice is often just a slogan, even the smallest movement in the right direction is worth noticing. The road ahead is still long, but at least now, someone is walking it.