Release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman demanded as journalists continue protest

PESHAWAR: The media workers continued the protest against the arrest of Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman on Friday and called for his release forthwith.

The protesting journalists from Daily Jang, The News and Geo carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans which spotlighted the demands. Among the speakers were Daily Jang Resident Editor Arshad Aziz Malik, Shakeel Farman Ali, Imdad Ali Qazalbash, Shah Zaman, Farmanullah Jan and others. They termed the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman illegal, unconstitutional and an attack on the independent media. The speakers flayed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and National Accountability Bureau (NAB and said both were victimizing the head of the largest media group of the country by detaining its owner. They said the NAB had no right to arrest a person in a three-decades-old property case, adding Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was arrested because NAB had become a tool in the hands of the PTI govt.

The protesters said the rulers were following an anti-media policy which was troubling the media houses and the workers employed there.

They said different tactics were being employed to pressure the Jang Media Group such as stopping advertisements and disrupting the Geo TV transmission which was a grave injustice. The speakers said the government should have conducted accountability of those involved in mega corruption scandals but that was not done and it had gone after the free media. The protesting journalists requested the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the case to provide justice to Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman who headed a media house which had always promoted independent journalism.