Columnist slams Mir Shakil’s detention

LONDON: Nadeem Syed, a senior journalist and columnist, has condemned the illegal and unjustified detention of Jang-Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman (MSR).

He said, in a statement, the treatment meted out to MSR was incredible given his stature and contribution, suggesting especially to Pakistanis abroad that perhaps legal procedures had not been followed, making MSR’s arrest very much a case of most flagrant denial of justice.

He said if such an iconic figure can end up in jail for just personal grudges and egos what safeguards ordinary people had under the present setup. He said it was now an open secret that MSR had been arrested due to his commitment towards free press, adding he was being punished for protecting the journalists from Jang and Geo for upholding the truth and objectivity.

“It seems that efforts are afoot to fetter the free press whatever its implications may be. Some of the tactics adopted by the present government reminds us of highly dictatorial governments of the past we have bravely left behind.”

He said: “Mir Sahab has been very fair towards government despite its intolerant attitude. This is evident from the coverage the government and its functionaries and more important Imran Khan have been getting from the institutions owned by none other than Mir Sahab.

Nadeem Syed is a former Chief Reporter of The Nation (Lahore), Pakistan Today, Correspondent Sunday Guardian.