ISLAMABAD: BOL News Network has reportedly removed prominent female anchor Absa Komal from the air following remarks she made at a journalists’ protest in Islamabad, according to JournalismPakistan.com.
JournalismPakistan.com reported on September 16 that Komal was allegedly dismissed or taken off air after speaking at a hunger strike organized by the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) outside the National Press Club.
During her address on September 14, Komal criticized media owners over what she described as delayed or unpaid salaries and questioned the treatment of journalists working in the television industry.
She said some media employees had gone without salaries for several months and accused certain media organizations of treating journalists as “second-class citizens.” She also criticized a pattern in which junior and lower-paid workers are allegedly among the first to lose their jobs during financial difficulties.
The RIUJ hunger strike was organized on the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and focused on several issues facing media workers, including forced dismissals, unpaid wages and the arrest of journalists under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.
Reports of action against Komal triggered criticism from journalists and public figures. Journalist Asad Ali Toor called for her return to television, while former senator Afrasiab Khattak criticized what he described as a culture in which journalists could face consequences for raising concerns about their working conditions.
However, there has been no formal public confirmation from BOL News or Komal that she has been dismissed. JournalismPakistan.com reported that accounts differed, with some describing her as fired and others saying she had simply been taken off air. The BOL News website was still listing her program, Policy Point with Absa Komal, on September 16.
The reported dispute comes amid wider concerns about employment conditions in Pakistan’s media industry, where delayed salaries, newsroom restructuring and job cuts have become recurring issues.
Komal joined BOL News as a senior anchor in April 2025 and later hosted Policy Point with Absa Komal. She previously worked with Dawn News and Geo News and has experience in both television and radio journalism.
The episode has renewed debate over working conditions for journalists and whether media employees can openly raise concerns about unpaid wages, job security and newsroom practices without facing professional consequences.
