Demand renewed for release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman

PESHAWAR: The workers of Jang/Geo Group on Saturday continued protest against the arrest of their Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and renewed their commitment to continue strive till the acceptance of their demands.

They were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands, urging the authorities to release Mir Shakil and withdraw cases against him. Criticising the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for detaining Mir Shakil, they said the irresponsible rulers were trying to control independent media through such cheap tactics.

Journalists Arshad Aziz Malik, Shakeel Farman Ali and others recalled that Mir Shakil was detained for the last five months in a 34-year-old property case without fulfilling the legal requirements. They deplored that the rulers had left behind the dictators in anti-media policy. They demanded release of Mir Shakil forthwith and withdrawal of cases against him. They said the representatives of almost all the political parties, lawyers, doctors and people belonging to various walks of life visited their protest camp and termed the government action as illegal and unconstitutional. The protesters said the NAB had no jurisdiction to detain Mir Shakil in a three-decade-old property case but still he was not being released.

They appealed to the chief justice Supreme Court to provide justice to Mir Shakil and hold the people accountable for their illegal action. They warned to expand their protest movement if Mir Shakil was not released forthwith and cases were not withdrawn against him.