Demand for release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman reiterated

PESHAWAR: The workers of the Jang/Geo Group continued the protest against the arrest of their Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman here on Sunday. They were holding banners and carrying placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands. They chanted slogans against the government and the National Accountability Bureau for detaining Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman without proving any case of corruption in a 34 years old property case. The speakers including Arshad Aziz Malik, Shakeel Farman, Shah Zaman, Amjad Safi and others lamented that the head of the largest media group of the country was being targeted to silence the free press.

Reiterating the commitment to continue struggle till the acceptance of their demands, they recalled their sacrifices for the freedom of expression and independent media in the past and vowed to brave all pressures. They said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf claimed to be champion of reforms and change, but was using a national institution to victimize opponents and silence independent voices. The protesters said the rulers should have made accountable those responsible for the mega corruption scandals had they been really interested in the accountability process but that was never done.