Workers vow to continue protest till release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman

PESHAWAR: The media workers of the Jang/Geo Group continued to protest against the arrest of Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman outside their office on Monday.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands, the protesters chanted slogans against the government and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and vowed to continue protesting till the acceptance of their demands.

Sardar Hussain Babak, the provincial general secretary of Awami National Party and deputy opposition leader in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly visited the camp to express solidarity with the protesting workers. Speaking on the occasion, Sardar Hussain Babak condemned the government for detaining Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a three-decade-old property case.

Terming the arrest of Mir Shakil illegal, unjustified and political victimization, he said that the “selected” rulers were afraid of facing the truth and had forgotten the role of Jang Group for the promotion of democratic values in the country.

He said the “selected” prime minister attacked the same media group that had promoted him. The ANP leader said suppressing the voice of independent media would be dangerous for democracy. Despite all curbs and sanctions, he said, the Jang Group continued raising voice for democracy and reporting the truth. He said he would raise the illegal arrest of Mir Shakil on the floor of the provincial assembly.

The ANP leader said the “irresponsible” rulers had kept Mir Shakil behind bars for 53 days to punish him for telling the truth. He said it was deplorable to note that the entire world was marking World Press Freedom Day but in Pakistan the editor-in-chief of the biggest media group was detained without having committed any wrongdoing.

Babak said the media was not protesting alone against the sitting government as almost every section of society were doing so due to the flawed policies of the sitting rulers. He said the ANP had always strived for the press freedom and would extend all-out support to the journalist community in their just struggle.

Arshad Aziz Malik, Resident Editor Daily Jang Peshawar, said the government could not suppress the voice of the media as such efforts had never succeeded. He said the workers of the Jang Group from all over the country were protesting against the illegal arrest of Mir Shakil and would continue protesting till his release.