Jang/Geo workers vow to protest even during Eid holidays

LAHORE: Jang/Geo workers on Saturday vowed to continue their struggle against the tyrant regime even during Eidul Fitr holidays and beyond against the illegal arrest of Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

This was the unwavering stand of protesting media men and civil society representatives during their ongoing protest campaign in Lahore.

Group Editor Jang Shaheen Qureshi, while challenging injustice and mean tactics of the government to snub the voice of media by arresting Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, warned the rulers that they should refrain from anti-law and inhuman acts of oppression towards journalists and media houses. Otherwise, the media will be forced to take a direct action to gain its legal and basic rights. He said this protest campaign will continue during and after Eidul Fitr till the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Those who participated in the protest included Maqsood Butt, Shahab Ansari, Jawad Malik, Muhammad Farooq, Aziz Sheikh, Muhammad Ali, Munawer Hassan, Muhammad Ali, Abdullah Malik, Khizar Hayat, Asif Butt and Sattar Jutt.

In 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.