Arrest of MSR deeply disturbing: Maleeha Lodhi

ISLAMABAD: Former permanent representative of Pakistan at the UN and former ambassador of Pakistan to US Dr Maleeha Lodhi has termed the arrest of Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman deeply disturbing, especially as he was making himself available to answer the allegations against him, and not running away.

“Justice demands that he is released as soon as possible as there is no justification to detain him when he is ready to answer all questions relating to the alleged case,” Maleeha Lodhi said on Twitter.

“As a former journalist I regard this as a thinly veiled attack on the freedom of expression,” she said, adding, “Journalists are all too familiar with such attacks.

The circumstances surrounding the arrest are truly troubling coming as it did after a series of apparently intimidatory messages sent to the Group and it’s journalists. The rule of law, justice and the constitutional right to free expression demands his immediate release.”

Senior journalist and analyst Ghazi Salahuddin said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s arrest by NAB is an attack not only on the Jang-Geo Group but also on the freedom of media in Pakistan. He said it is an act of desperation because the Group has braved years of concerted and consistent pressure without caving in.

“It is a measure of Mir Shakil’s vision and professionalism that the Group has been a birthplace of and nurturing ground for outstanding print and electronic journalism,” he said.

“As the launch editor of The News in 1991, I can vouch for Mir Shakil’s contribution to the growth of media landscape in Pakistan.

Jang-Geo Group has seen dark days before and it is a tribute to its editorial staff that the authorities keep trying to restrain them.

But to arrest Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is a shameful decision that sets a terrible precedent,” he said.