On the 18th of May, 2015 New York Times published a controversial detailed feature on Axact which resulted in negatively propagating, defaming and create hurdles in the launching of BOL TV - owned by the same group - since it was about to hit the market.
Meanwhile, competitors and other big media houses of Pakistan started a 24/7 media trial of BOL Network and its management on various platforms. It was also observed that even the Government of Pakistan was also trying to have a biased influence on the inquiry against BOL TV resulting in blocking BOL News transmission, cancellation of BOL News security clearance, seizing salary accounts of BOL causing the blockage of salaries to thousands of employees.

The government’s efforts to crush BOL TV will render more than 2000 employees, including journalists and workers, jobless across the country, and would result in curbing press freedom.

We, the workers of BOL network, find all this a conspiracy against the network. Since the past three weeks, all the employees of BOL Network along with Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, all Provincial Unions of Journalists, National Press Club, Islamabad and other press clubs and members of electronic and print media, along with the civil society, have been protesting against the silencing of BOL Network across the country.

Conspiracies by PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) and Interior Ministry of Pakistan are shameful, hence we demand immediate end to the conspiracies against BOL and removal of artificially created obstacles blocking BOL News transmission, withdrawal of unlawful, illegal, unethical cancellation of BOL News’ security clearance, and authorities should allow Bol administration payment of thousands of journalists immediately.

The government’s efforts to close BOL will prove to be a major blow for the entire media industry of Pakistan. It will result in the massive exploitation of workers, who already are getting lower salaries than the market rates. Since the assault on BOL began, media owners, who were forced to revise salaries upwards, have stopped issuing increment letters to their staff members. In some cases, the revised salaries have already been cut back. This is a dangerous trend and the government must intervene on behalf of thousands of media workers.

In addition, apparently, the immediate campaign of media houses in Pakistan along with the government’s response right after the New York Time’s feature reeks of conspiracy. Media workers, wherever they are working, are being compelled to believe that Declan Walsh’s feature is more than a set up to stop BOL TV since it has not only introduced good packages for the employees, but has also introduced other facilities like paying employees in time, giving them shares in the company, offering health facilities for employees and their families, 8-hour jobs, life insurance, good pay scale, timely increments with bonuses and a lot more.

BOL Network made thousands of working journalists believe that the financial harassment they had been facing since the independence of Pakistan in 1947 was finally shifting into their favor and the time had come where they would get paid according to their hard work. On the other hand, Declan Walsh's feature appeared as beneficial only for the Corporate class of the media industry, and left all hopes of aspiring journalists and other media staff, shattered.

Now, the despair spread and created by media groups owners is showing that the slogan of "freedom of speech" is only for the corrupt corporate class that has no other objective but to crush working class journalists and to keep increasing their assets by all means.

But, we, as working class journalists are not disappointed at all and we will keep fighting for our rights with support from the civil society and will keep supporting those people who dare to stand up for the rights of the oppressed.