Protest against Editor-in-Chief arrest continues

LAHORE: The workers of The News, Jang and Geo continued protest against the arrest of their Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman here on Friday.

The protesters criticized the government and said the nexus of the PTI and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is harming the country. They said the rulers are trying to suppress the voice of independent media by arresting Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. They condemned the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a 34-year-old property case, and said the workers of the Jang/Geo Group would continue to protest till the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

They termed the arrest an attack on the press. They said the rulers are following anti-press and anti-media policies to stop them from highlighting the truth. Shaheen Qureshi, Abdullah Malik human rights activist, Zaheer Anjum, Khizar Hayat Gondal, Zahid Ali Khan, Owais Qarni, Muhammad Farooq, Babar Waseem, Afzal Abbas and others were present in the protest held outside the Jang building.

In Peshawar, the workers of Jang/Geo Group continued protest against the arrest of their Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman here on Friday.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands, the protesters demanded immediate release of the editor-in-chief and withdrawal of cases against him. The protesters chanted slogans against the government for following in the footsteps of dictators to suppress the voice of independent media.

The PTI government, they said, was using the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for political victimisation of opponents while remaining silent over other mega corruption scandals.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Arbab Khizer Hayat visited the camp to express solidarity with the workers of the Jang Group. Speaking on the occasion, Arbab Khizer Hayat condemned the government and NAB the arrest in a 34-year old property case.

Terming it an attack on the press, he said the government was using national institutions against its opponents, but they would not succeed. He posed a question as to why NAB was not taking action against people responsible for the mega corruption scandals including the Bus Rapid Transit project, Malam Jabba land scam, sugar and wheat flour crises.

He demanded release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and withdrawal of cases against him. Resident Editor Daily Jang Peshawar Arshad Aziz Malik also condemned the illegal arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a three-decade old property case.

He said it was the first case where an accused had been detained for the last more than two months without even conducting investigations and registering a case against him. He demanded release of the editor-in-chief and withdrawal of cases against him.