Jang/Geo workers hold countrywide protests to demand Editor-in-Chief’s release

KARACHI/MULTAN/BAHAWLAPUR/RAWALPINDI/PESHAWAR: The workers of Geo-Jang Group along with a large cross-section of civil society, political workers, journalists, media organisations and trade union leaders continued their protest on Thursday against the unjust and illegal arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil and pledged to continue the protest till his release and achieving media freedom. The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands. They chanted slogans against the government and sought the release of Mir Shakil.

Addressing the protest camp outside the offices of Jang and The News at the Murree Road in Rawalpindi, Secretary General Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Nasir Zaidi said they were waging a twin struggle for the freedom of media against curbs and for the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. “The journalists and workers will continue their struggle for the release of Mir Shakil and will not compromise on freedom of media,” he said. He said as part of financial hardships, advertisements of the Geo-Jang group were first stopped followed by blocking payment of their arrears to maximise pressure on Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, who refused to bow before the government demands. Zaidi said the journalists are prepared to face all threats even sacrifice their lives for the truth and freedom of media guaranteed in the Constitution.

Chairman Joint Action Committee of Workers of Geo-Jang Group and President Jang Workers Union Nasir Chishti said the media workers are ready to offer any sacrifice to bring the truth before the people. “If justice was not provided, then that time is not faraway when the families of journalists and workers will also be on roads to demand justice,” he said. Former president PFUJ Afzal Butt said the Jang-Geo Group was threatened by financial losses and and sometimes Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was asked to fire journalists but he never bowed before these threats. He said despite the passage of 48 days, the government was still confused over what kind of case to register against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Editor Jang Rawalpindi Hanif Khalid said despite all odds, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman stood firm on his principles just like his father the late Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman who stood against the British Raj. He regretted that some opponents instead of standing by the truth have preferred play politics. He hoped of getting justice from the higher judiciary and soon Mir Shakil will be released. Editor Reporting Jang Rana Ghulam Qadir said journalists from all over the world fully supported Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. President RIUJ Aamir Sajjad Sayed said the struggle for the freedom of press will continue till its achievement. Secretary General RIUJ Asif Ali Bhatti said the purpose of arrest of Mir Shakil was to close Geo, Jang and The News and hurt journalists. He said the supremacy of the Constitution, parliament and law is not possible without the freedom of media.

Member of Editorial Panel of Jang Abbass Alam said the arrest of Editor-in-Chief is tantamount to arresting the captain of journalism with the sole aim to bringing the media under control. Senior correspondents of The News Asim Yasin, Ziaul Qamar and workers of the group Malik Nusrat and Munir Shah said the government tactics to censor the media will be foiled and expressed the hope that the superior judiciary will take into account the injustices being meted out to Mir Shakil and he will be released. “The media workers and journalists will continue their struggle till the release of Mir Shakil,” they pledged.

Press Manager Jang Kamal Shah said Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was arrested in a fake and fabricated case because he highlighted the facts before the people which the government wanted to hide. “The Editor-in-Chief has never bowed before the illegal and unjust demands and always stood for the truth,” he said.

Likewise in Karachi, owners and editors of Sindh’s regional newspapers visited the protesters camp and expressed solidarity with the Jang Geo Action Committee’s campaign seeking unconditional release of Mir Shakil and for freedom of media from censorship. The camp was widely attended by groups' workers, lawyers, media and journalist organisations and civil society.

Editor of Roznama Halchal Younus Mehr said the media organizations of Sindh stand united with the cross-section of the society with the Jang-Geo Group's campaign for free press. He described Mir Shakil as a brave soul like his father Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman and said he would not compromise on his principles. Chief Editor Awami Parchar, Mumtaz Phulpoto said that by slashing the advertisement rates and then disproving the quota of advertisements, the government was crippling the media industry. He warned the government of acting against the fourth pillar of the state and highlighted the problems its policies would create in the country.

Speaking to the protest demonstration outside the Jang Geo offices, the Karachi Press Club President Imtiaz Khan Faran said that Mir Shakil was not just a brave journalist but a brave leader too who has not succumbed to the government pressure despite the illegal and long detention. Faran pledged to continue his support with the Jang-Geo Action Committee campaign for the release of Mir Shakil and remarked that the government was making a grave mistake by attempting to gag the independent media. He said it must be understood by all that the arrest of Jang-Geo Editor-In-Chief was a direct threat to the media fraternity. He hoped that very soon Mir Shakil will be released from jail, saying that Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Asif Ali Zardari and others were similarly victimized by NAB in false cases but the courts gave them relief after the prosecution could not substantiate its fabricated charges. They said that the government was trying to kill the independent media outlets through such arrests and cuts in advertisements.

Sindh High Court lawyer Atiq Pirzada said that the government is actively pursuing its agenda of removing the Jang-Geo Group from the media industry to bring the remaining media under compromise. He said that the vengeful campaign of the government against strong and vocal media groups was an attack on the freedom of press. The All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation secretary general Shakil Yamin Kanga said that the government must give up its intolerance and stop suppressing the free press else the whole workers of the media industry will be out on the streets to safeguard their rights, future and livelihood. Senior journalist Khursheed Abbasi said that the government was trying to blackmail people through NAB, which is evident from its history since Imran Khan became the prime minister. He said that champions of democracy were attacking the media.

Others who spoke at the demonstration included Roznama Pak Sindh editor Rafiq Ahmed Pirzada, Roznama Momal chief editor Hasina Jatoi, Roznama Tameer-e-Sindh’s Qazi Imtiaz Ahmed, Roznama Hilal Pakistan chief editor Mangaldas Advani, senior journalist Raja Tariq, The News Employees Union general secretary Dara Zafar, Javed Press Union’s general secretary Rana Yusuf.

Similarly in Peshawar, media workers of the Jang Group continued their protest outside their offices against the arrest of Jang, The News and Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands. The speakers condemned the government for arresting the Jang Group chief in a 34 years old property case. The Peshawar Press Club President Syed Bukhar Shah in his speech said the government wanted to suppress the independent press but hoped it would not succeed. He demanded release of Mir Shakil and withdrawal of cases against him. Shah appealed to the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take notice of the case and provide justice to the Jang Group editor-in-chief. He said Jang Group never delayed salaries and stopped facilities to workers in the past but the government withheld the advertisement dues due to which it failed to pay the salaries on time. Syed Bukhar Shah demanded an immediate release of dues to the Jang Group so that the miseries of workers could be reduced. Daily Jang Resident Editor, Arshad Aziz Malik referred to the human rights organizations' reports and ongoing injustices with the major media group in Pakistan.

Geo Bureau Chief Shakeel Farman Ali flayed the government for arresting Mir Shakil in the property case, but pointed out that the international media and human rights organizations were monitoring the case. He said Mir Shakil's arrest was an attack on the independent press which was not acceptable to the media workers. A former president of the Khyber Union of Journalists, Javed Aziz Khan, condemned the government for arresting Mir Shakil, but said such tactics could not pressurize the Jang Group to stop highlighting the truth.

Sabir Aman of The News condemned the illegal arrest and demanded the release of Mir Shakil. He said the Group had always highlighted the truth and would continue to do so in future, adding such pressure tactics would not stop them from performing duties.

In Bahawalpur, members of Bahawalpur Union of Journalists, Bahawalpur Press Club, Jang, The News, Geo and workers of action committee Bahawalpur staged a protest at the Press Club against illegal detention of Jang-Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. They also staged a sit-in and raised slogans against illegal arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his immediate release.

The protest demonstration was led by former vice president of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and reigning member of PFUJ FEC Muhammad Ameen Abbasi and BhUJ secretary general Rashed Hashmi.

In Multan, the workers of Jang, Geo and The News continued their protest against the illegal arrest of their Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his immediate release.

A large number of political workers, civil society and human rights activists visited Jang-Geo Group workers’ protest camp and expressed solidarity with them. Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan People’s Party divisional president Salim Raja condemned the arrest of Mir Shakil. He said that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was a media guru and the government had failed to prove a single charge against him. The PPP workers, including Malik Allah Bakhsh, Aslam Bhatti and Muhammad Salim, also spoke on the occasion.