PESHAWAR: People from various sections of the society continued to turn up at the ongoing protest camps and rallies by the media workers in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to demand the release of the Jang Group Editor-in-Chief, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.
The workers of Daily Jang, Geo and The News continued to stage the camp outside their offices which was in its 11th day. Most of those who visited the camp were from the business community, followed by lawyers and others segments.
Those who spoke on the occasion were a senior leader of the United Business Group of Pakistan, Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) President Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz, Senior Vice President Shahid Hussain, Zahidullah Shinwari, Malik Niaz Ahmad, Sajjad Aziz, Sartaj Khan, Peshawar High Court Bar Association General Secretary Abid Ali, Vice-President Ali Zaman and others.
The participants of the protest were holding banners and placards. These were inscribed with slogans that condemned the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, attacks by the government on the media freedom and economic murder of journalists. Ilyas Ahmad Bilour termed the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman the result of the nexus between the government and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). He said the actions by the government were an attack on media freedom. The senior businessman demanded that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman should be freed forthwith.
Ilyas Bilour, who has remained a senator in the past a number of times, said the so-called accountability was one-sided. He asked why the anti-corruption body was silent over mega scandals such as Billion Tree Tsunami, Bus Rapid Transit and the recent flour and sugar scams. SCCI President Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz said rules were not followed while arresting Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.
He said the chamber was with the journalist community in its struggle for free media and demanded the release of the Jang Group editor-in -chief.
ABBOTTABAD: Like other parts the country, the media workers staged a protest here to urge the government to release forthwith the Jang, Geo and The News Editor-in-Chief, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.
Led by the Abbottabad Pres Club President Mohammad Aamer Shahzad Jadoon, the protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands.
They chanted slogans against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government and the National Accountability Bureau after accusing both of implicating Mir Shakil in a property case which was 34 years old. The speakers, including Abbottabad Press Club President Aamir Shahzad Jadoon, Electronic Media Association President Tahir Hussain Shah, General Secretary Haroon Tanoli, Finance Secretary, Abbottabad Union of Journalists, Dildar Ahmad Satti and others criticized the government for arresting Mir Shakil and termed it an attack on the press freedom.
Terming the arrest cheap tactics, the speakers said the rulers were mistaken if they thought it could suppress the voice of independent media. They said such efforts had been made in the past, too, but they could not stifle the voice of the press. The protesters asked the government to release Mir Shakil.
MANSEHRA: The people from various segments of the society, politicians and journalists demanded the government set free the Jang, Geo and The News Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.
The people from different walks of life gathered at the Mansehra Press Club to demand the release of Mir Shakil. They raised slogans demanding an immediate release of the Jang Group chief. Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz central senior vice-president Sardar Mohammad Yousuf said his party would not allow the government to undermine sanctity and independence of media through such unjustified tactics. “We want Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman freed forthwith as his family had played a pivotal role in the media’s independence since the country came into existence,” he added.
TIMERGARA: The Lower Dir journalist community, traders, legal fraternity and political workers from various parties staged a protest at the Timergara Press Club against the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his release.The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans that condemned the arrest and demanded his release. President, District Bar Association Jehan Bahadar, PML-N Lower Dir general secretary Javed Akhtar, Shah Faisal and Imran Takar of Awami National Party, PPP Lower Dir secretary information Alam Zeb, president, Anjuman-e-Tajiran Timergara Anwaruddin, President Timergara Press Club Ismail Anjum, general secretary Ihsanullah Shakir, senior journalists Hanifullah Khan, Malik Ziaurrahim, Haroon Khan and Shahid Hussain Yousafzai termed the detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman a bid to stifle freedom of speech.
TANK: The journalists from Tank district staged a protest and sit-in to condemn the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his release. The protesters took out a procession from the Tank Press Club and later staged the sit-in.
The speakers, including Sheikh Rehmatullah, Rafeeq Arain, Malik Irfan Burki, Syed Shah and other condemned the arrest of the Jang Group chief and demanded his release without any delay. They said the arrest was a part of the pressure tactics being employed to silence the independent media.
WANA: The members of the Kaniguram Press protested as well to flay the action against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demand his release from the NAB custody without. Speaking on the occasion, Malik Rafeeuddin Burki, Sher Burki and others said late Shaukat Khanum, the mother of Prime Minister Imran Khan, hailed from Kaniguram town of the South Waziristan. They said the prime minister should pay heed to the demand made by the journalists from Kaniguram and release Mir Shakil.
MINGORA: The journalist community in the Swat district staged a protest against the government for arresting the Jang, The News and Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and restrictions on free press. Demanding an immediate release of Mir Shakil, the journalists including Sherinzada, Niaz Ahmad Khan, Syed Shahabuddin and others said the government wanted to gag free media through the NAB.The speakers said that it was unfair on the part of the government and the NAB to arrest Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a 34-year old property case. Chanting slogans against the government and NAB, the media persons vowed to continue the protest till the release of Mir Shakil and annulment of the “draconian” laws against the free press.
They added that the Jang Group was the largest media group and playing a role for making Pakistan stable and strong. The speakers said the government would not succeed in bringing the media under any pressure as the morale of the workers of the Jang Group was high. CHARSADDA: The journalist community protested the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his release forthwith. Charsadda Press Club President Sabz Ali Tareen led the protest. General Secretary Sartaj Khan, Office Secretary Saifullah Jan and other newspersons attended the rally. Sabz Ali Tareen in his speech came down hard on the government for the action against the Jang Group in particular and free media in general.
He said the journalist community was concerned at the arrest and termed it an attempt to put the free media under pressure. Sabz Ali Tareen and other speakers demanded the government to release Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman immediately.
TAKHTBHAI: The journalist fraternity condemned the NAB for arresting Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a 34-year old concocted case to gag major independent media group in the country. Speaking at a joint meeting of the members of Takhtbhai, Shergarh and Malakand press clubs, Bakhtullah Jan Hasrat, Dr Sher Bahadur, Zahir Shah Khan, Najeem Zaman, Ibrar Swati, Muslim Khan Sabir said that the NAB had crossed all the limits of decency and set rules and arrested Mir Shakir-ur-Rahman at the behest of the government to toe its line.
Takhtbhai Press Club president Fazal Hadi chaired while Haji Murad Ali Murad, Wahab Yousafi, Nihar Ali Yousafzai, Jamil-ur-Rahman, Muslim Khan, Khaista Rahman, Afsar Ali, Muhammad Ali Khan, Zahid Ali attended the meeting. The speakers said that NAB and government were hand in glove, who were out to muzzle the free press so that the failures of rulers could not be exposed to the masses.
They said that media cannot be intimidated through such mean tactics, vowing that they were ready to render any sacrifice for freedom of press in the country.
JAMRUD: The Jamrud Press Club Members staged the protest. The speakers condemned the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his release.
