Sindh political, HR organisations demand MSR’s release

SUKKUR: The members of political and nationalist parties and human rights organisations from Sukkur, Khairpur, Shikarpur, Larkana, Naushahro Feroze, Ghotki, Mirpurkhas, Umarkot and other districts demanded immediate release of Jang-Geo group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

PPP leader Engineer Khan Muhammad Phulpoto said the arrest of the Editor-in-Chief of Jang-Geo Group was politically motivated and symbolises victimisation. He said before arresting him, the NAB should have proven the charges and added that the PTI government was trying to curb the media eversince it came into power.

The PPP leader said the people believed in the freedom of expression and any attempt to suppress it would be strongly resisted. Human rights activist Advocate Sattar Zangejo said the fundamental rights of the people were being usurped by the PTI government, while a record high number of cases against the journalists were registered during this tenure. He said Jang-Geo Group is the largest media outlet practicing responsible journalism and demanded the immediate release of its editor-in-chief.

Akhtar Khaskheli, social activist, said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman's arrest was another U-turn of the PTI government and Prime Minister Imran Khan and the NAB which instead of consolidating its credibility is taking dictations from the political government.

He asked what kind of message was NAB sending to the nation and the media houses by arresting Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman? Fareed Bhutto from the USA said the fight between main stakeholders at a time when Pakistan was passing through a critical situation due to economic crisis and the coronavirus outbreak would not be helpful to the PTI government. He said the NAB should have completed its investigations instead of heading for arresting the Jang-Geo group editor-in-chief in a half baked fashion would bring further disrepute to the organisation and the government suffering from crisis of credibility.