Protest continues against arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman

PESHAWAR: The workers of Jang/Geo Group continued protest against the arrest of their Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman here on Saturday.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands, the protesters urged the government to release Mir Shakil and withdraw the case against him. They chanted slogans against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for victimizing the opposition parties and the media outlets through the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Speaking on the occasion, Resident Editor Daily Jang Peshawar Arshad Aziz Malik, senior journalist Shakeel Farman Ali and others condemned the government and NAB for arresting Mir Shakil 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 and withdrawal of cases against him. Arshad Aziz Malik 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. The protesters appealed to the chief justice of the Supreme Court to take notice of the ongoing injustice against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

They asked the government to release Mir Shakil or else they would continue protest till the acceptance of their demands. The government was punishing the Jang Group for speaking the truth, the protesters said, adding that nobody could prevent the journalists from performing their duty.