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Tuesday, October 08, 2024  
04 Rabi Al-Akhar 1446  

Journalist, laid off and unable to make ends meet, takes his own life

Faheem Mughal, a journalist who lost his job earlier this year, and was unable to make ends meet took his own life ...
A debt of Rs60,000 became too much of a burden for Faheem Mughal to bear. Twitter
A debt of Rs60,000 became too much of a burden for Faheem Mughal to bear. Twitter

Faheem Mughal, a journalist who lost his job earlier this year, and was unable to make ends meet took his own life on Friday.

According to a story in Geo, "a Rs60,000 debt became too much for him to bear."

They also reported he hanged himself from a fan. He leaves behind a widow, five daughter and a son.

Geo also quoted Mughal's deceased's eldest daughter as describing how difficult times were since her father was laid off reportedly from the Express Group as is widely being reported on social media.

He posted on Facebook on June 2 about being laid off and asked people for their prayers as he was worried.

His daughter said the family often went hungry for days and that her father often brought food from JDC charity.

On June 2, Mughal posted a status from his Facebook ID that read: "My job is no more, which is why I am very worried. Please pray for me."

In a story in BBC Urdu, his widow Shahzadi is quoted as saying Faheem attempted suicide two times before but that she'd saved him. She spoke of the stress he was under.

"I used to tell him that if you remain alive, you will be a source of support for our children. However, if you die, what will happen to them?'" she is quoted in BBC Urdu as saying, adding that she asked him to appeal to people.

"If I cry about poverty in the name of my daughters, it will destroy my self-esteem," he told his wife.

BBC Urdu also quotes his friend Umair Dabeer as saying that Mughal was worried about a bank loan of Rs60,000 he was unable to pay back and that the bank was threatening him.

Many people took to Twitter to mourn Mughal's passing.

One user wrote how the layoff affected his mental health.

Another added that the present economic times with rising inflation may have exacerbated the situation.

Another questioned where the media fraternity was on this issue of unemployment for journalists.

One user asked struggling journalists to reach out to him and his organization for assistance.

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crimes against journalists

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