Protest goes on against arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Press Club (PPC) and Khyber Union of Journalists (KhUJ) members on Tuesday continued the protest against the arrest of the Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and sought his early release.

They gathered outside the offices of the Daily Jang, The News and Geo TV to register the protest. The protesters were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans. They condemned the pressure tactics against the independent media and demanded the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. PPC President Syed Bukhar Shah, KhUJ Vice- President Rizwan Sheikh, Daily Jang Resident Editor Arshad Aziz Malik, Shakeel Farman Ali, Farmanullah Jan, Shah Zaman, Qaisar Khan, Gulzar Khan, Imdad Ali Qazalbash and others addressed the protesters.

The protesting media workers said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman had been behind bars since March 12 on cooked-up charges. The speakers flayed the government for victimizing Mir Shakil- Jang Group and it‘s head Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman who had earned respect over the years for promoting independent journalism. They said the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur Rahman was illegal, unconstitutional as had been argued by legal experts and people from other segments of the society who had visited the protest camp.

The speakers said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) working jointly to victimize opponents and the independent media which had refused to go pliant. They said it was strange that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman had been under detention for almost five months in a 34-year-old property case.

The speakers said the so-called anti-graft body had failed to act against those involved in massive financial scandals, including Bus Rapid Transit, Malam Jabba, Billion Tsunami Tree, and those of sugar and flour. They recalled the former adviser to KP chief minister Ajmal Wazir was removed from his office for allegedly demanding kickback but no proper action was taken of the issue.

They warned of expanding the protest movement if Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was not released forthwith. The speakers implored to the chief justice Supreme Court of Pakistan to take notice of the illegal detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and provide justice to the head of the largest media group in the country. They appealed to the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take notice of the case and provide justice to Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman who represented the free media.