PPP to become party in plea for Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman

KARACHI: The PPP will become a party in the petition filed against broadcast restrictions faced by Geo News and the arrest of Jang Geo Media Group editor-in-chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman (MSR), PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto's spokesperson, Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, said Tuesday.

Khokhar added that the party has decided to become part of the petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). PPP's Secretary-General Farhatullah Babar will launch an application in the IHC tomorrow to officially become a party to the case, he noted.

Restrictions on the airing of Geo News and pushing it back in the list of channels on cable TV is an attack on freedom of media, he said, adding that PPP had always struggled for freedom of the media. On Monday, the PML-N, JUI-F, and JI jointly filed a petition in the IHC against the arrest of Jang Geo Media Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, who was detained by the NAB on March 12 in relation to a property he had purchased from a private party 34 years ago.

Meanwhile, PPP leader Maula Bakhsh Chandio visted Jang/Geo offices. He termed Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s arrest revenge in the name of accountability. He said he had never seen such a helpless but arrogant prime minister, adding that coronavirus actually struck Pakistan 19 months ago.

Balochistan National Party leader Nawabzada Lashkari Raisani also visited Jang/Geo offices. He condemned the arrest and demanded immediate release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. PML-N leader Mushahidullah Khan said in a video message that the case against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was vindictive, adding that the Jang/Geo editor-in-chief had frequently faced pressure from different governments but he stood firm like his father.

JUI-F leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmad contacted Geo News over phone. He said that if Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was a NAB accused, the government incriminated Geo News and pushed it to last numbers which belied government’s claim that it had nothing to do with the arrest.