Protests against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s detention enters 46th day

RAWALPINDI: The countrywide protests by the workers of the Geo-Jang Group, media organisations, civil society and political workers continued on the 46th day against the arrest of the Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil-Ur-Rahman.

In Rawalpindi, the protesters at the protest camp outside the offices of Jang and The News at Murree Road warned that if Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil-Ur-Rehman was not released, then all the workers of the Group will court arrest.

Addressing the protesters, Chairman Joint Action Committee of workers and President Jang Workers Union Nasir Chishti warned that if Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group was not released at his appearance before the NAB court on Tuesday, then all the journalists were ready to give their arrest.

Secretary General Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Nasir Zaidi said Prime Minister Imran Khan had a personal axe to grind against MSR and he had been saying that he will arrest him which the prime minister did. He said the media was not being allowed to function freely as guaranteed under the Constitution. He said the journalists will never compromise on the freedom of the press and will continue their struggle for its freedom and independence of expression. Former President PFUJ Afzal Butt said the case of Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has become internationalised and added the international media and rights organizations are also demanding the his unconditional release. Secretary General RIUJ and senior correspondent of Geo News Asif Ali Bhatti said thesole aim behind arresting the Editor-in-Chief was to impose censorship on the media.

The workers of daily Jang, Kaleem Shamim and Syed Munir Shah, asked the CJP Justice Gulzar Ahmad to take a suo motu notice on the unjust and illegal arrest and continued detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

In Karachi, a large number of workers of the Geo-Jang Group on Monday were joined at the protest camp outside the offices of the Group, by media organisations, political leaders, representatives of Sindh Paramedical Association and civil society to express solidarity and denounce the arrest and continued detention of the Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Criticising the government's intolerant policies, Pakistan People’s Party leader Najmi Alam said the media being the fourth pillar of the state has to report anything that goes wrong in the society. He said those who should be in the prison for creating crises with their wrondoings are enjoying the perks, while the Jang-Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was behind the bars for his independent editorial policies. He vowed that the PPP will oppose any attempt to gag the media and will not let the fourth pillar of the state become compromised. Appealing for unity among the media houses and journalists, the PPP leader warned if they do not express unity at this time, they must be prepared for crackdown against them any time.

President Sindh Paramedical Association, Ameer Hussain Shah, condemned the government's moves against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his immediate release. He said Rahman's continued detention smacks of a conspiracy that the government has hatched against those media houses that try to invoke their independent editorial policies.

The Secretary General All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation, Shakil Yamin Kanga, said that if the National Accountability Bureau could arrest Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a 34-year-old case, then why it could not open the case of millions-of-rupees worth property against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Kanga said that NAB's discriminatory policy has cost it its credibility. He said that anti-graft watchdog has reduced itself to an institution which persecutes people on the whims of those in power regardless of the constitution and law.

The General Secretary Javed Press Union, Rana Yusuf, said that 46 days have already passed with Jang-Geo Action Committee protest and will continue to do so until Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is released from the custody of NAB. President RIBJA Sardar Shaukat said all the media organizations and journalists organizations need to stand united on single platform for the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. A worker of daily Jang, Malik Nuusrat said all the journalist organizations and politicians must press for the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-Ur-Rehman in unison.

In Peshawar, the media workers of the Jang-Group continued their protest against the illegal arrest of their Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman .The office-bearers of Secretariat Coordination Council comprising five associations of government employees and Director Asia RSF Iqbal Khattak visited the camp to express solidarity with the Jang Group. Led by Imdad Ali Qazalbash, the protesters carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against media repression and the government for arresting the editor-in-chief in an over three-decade-old property case.

Speaking on the occasion, the central chairman All Pakistan Clerks Association Aslam Khan criticized the government and termed the arrest of Mir Shakil an attack on the press freedom. He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced his intention of crackdown against the Jang-Geo Group much before the arrest of group’s Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. The central and provincial leaders of the clerks association termed the arrest of Mir Shakil a victimisation of the media and asked the government to release the editor of the major media group and withdraw cases against him.

The Employees Association’s central chairman Mohammad Aslam Khan, secretary coordination council Tariq Hussain, president Class-IV Association Jabir Hussain Bangash, and general secretary KP Kibran Aslam Khan in their separate speeches praised the Jang-Geo Group for highlighting the truth and raising voice for the common people but said the irresponsible rulers wanted to suppress the voice of the independent press and opposition. They said previous governments' made similar efforts too but could neither suppress the media or the Jang Group.

In Multan, civil society activists, journalists and political workers condemned the arrest of Jang-Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman continued their protest against the unjust detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. They were joined in their weeks long protest by PPP Minorities MNA Naveed Amir Jewa along with a delegation of minorities representatives. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan council member Nazir Malik and rights activists also visited the protest camp and expressed solidarity with the Jang-Geo Group.

Speaking on the occasion, MNA Naveed Amir Jewa alleged that the government was taking steps against the freedom of free press. The increased censorship was destroying the environment for free press, he added. The working journalists were not feeling safe and secure since the government had launched its policies, he alleged. He criticised the ban on Geo News,Daily Jang and The News.

The HRCP council member Nazir Malik said that free press was under immense government pressure since day one of the present regime. He criticised NAB that despite keeping the Jang-Geo Editor-in-Chief in long detention, they had failed to register a case against him.

Similarly in Lahore, a peaceful protest by the Jang-Geo Group employees and journalists from different media organizations continued against the illegal detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and the protesters demanded his immediate release.

The participants comprising journalists from The News, Jang, Awaz newspaper Geo News besides other media and journalist organizations and civil society members chanted slogans against the illegal arrest of Jang-Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. They termed the arrest unlawful and an act of civilian martial law. They said the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is an attack on the freedom of expression in Pakistan and observed that media, as a representative of the society, is the fourth pillar of the state and those in power want to damage this pillar.

Senior journalist Maqsood Butt said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is not fighting for himself, rather his fight is for the freedom of expression and freedom of oppressed communities fighting for democracy. Shaheen Qureshi said the journalist community of Pakistan has rejected the fascist act of arresting Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman through NAB. He said the protest will continue until Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is released from the NAB detention. He termed the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman unlawful. He questioned if it was a justice of the claimant of Riasat-e-Madina. He said Imran Khan is unable to bear justified criticism against the government.

Other speakers including Chairman Istaqlal Party Manzoor Gillani, Edwin Sahotra of PPP Youth Wing, Adnan Malik and Amin Hafeez said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is fighting for the freedom of press. They said the media should be getting free from all controls being watchdog of the society. Free and independent media is crucial for the country. They said the civil society condemns the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his immediate release. They said the financial murder of media is against the Constitution.