Journalists renew demand for release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman

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

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with their demands, the protesters vowed to expand their movement if their genuine demands were not met. Chanting slogans against the government and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for detaining Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a 34-year old property case, they demanded his immediate and withdrawal of cases against him. The illegal detention of Mir Shakil has created unrest among the workers, who have appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan to take notice of the situation and provide them justice.

Terming arrest of Mir Shakil an attack on the press freedom, the protesting workers maintained that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government would not be able to dampen their spirits and prevent them from speaking the truth by adopting such tactics. Senior journalists Arshad Aziz Malik, Sabz Ali Shah, Shakeel Farman Ali and Shah Zaman also demanded immediate release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and withdrawal of cases against him. They said the journalist would perform their duty by telling the truth and exposing the corrupt practices.