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Friday March 29, 2024

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

By Asim Yasin
October 02, 2020

RAWALPINDI/LAHORE/PESHAWAR/MULTAN/ KARACHI: The journalists and workers of Geo and Jang Group while protesting against illegal and unjustified arrest of Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman on Thursday maintained that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was demanding right of freedom of expression and freedom of media for the whole country as the constitution of Pakistan guarantees freedom of the press.

The countrywide protest of journalists and workers of Geo and Jang Group along with the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists, legal fraternity, cross-section of civil society and political workers continued on Thursday against the illegal and unjust arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman for the last 202 days. At the protest camp outside the office of the Jang and The News in Rawalpindi, the protesters chanted slogans for the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Addressing the protest camp in Rawalpindi, Chairman Joint Action Committee of workers of Geo and Jang Group Islamabad and President Jang Workers Union Rawalpindi Nasir Chisti said the journalists and workers of Geo and Jang Group were writing history for the just cause of the freedom of media through their historical struggle.

Resident Editor Jang Rawalpindi Hanif Khalid said the movement for justice will continue till the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Secretary General RIUJ Asif Ali Bhatti said the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is a clear violation of human rights. He said every worker of Geo and Jang Group stood with firm resolve with Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

In Lahore, journalists, civil society members, office-bearers of media unions and Jang Workers Union continued protesting against the illegal arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, who was in custody for the last 202 days.

Staging demonstration outside the Jang Offices at the protest camp for 180th consecutive day, they criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking U-turn on his tall claims of over 20 years to turn Pakistan into a Madina-like state, alleging that he used the slogan only to woo media support to come to power. But they said, actually Imran had been victimising Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman for exposing the corruption and bad governance of the PTI regime.

In Peshawar, the journalists sought the release of the Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman as they continued the protest against his arrest. The protesters gathered outside the offices of Daily Jang, The News and Geo TV and registered anger at the victimisation of the head of the largest media group of the country.

With banners and placards in their hands, they chanted slogans against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for victimising Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and his media group.

In Multan, civil society activists, lawyers and journalists protested illegal detention of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his immediate release. They staged a demonstration on Nusrat Road and raised slogans for his release. They were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans for the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Senior lawyers Hafiz Muhammad Naveed, Akhtar Chaudhry, Chaudhry Bashir Ahmed Ansari, Mushtaq Haider Tipu, Chaudhry Saud Younis, Malik Javed Akhtar Nazar, Ehtshamul Haq and Rao Ahmed Naveed participated in the protest.

In Karachi, condemning Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s persecution at the hands of the National Accountability Bureau, women rights activist Afshan Hussain said that if the government did not stop from its vengeful campaign against the Jang-Geo Group, the civil society will take to streets in protest.

Hussain, who is the president of Sindh Women Welfare Association, said that he was being punished for upholding truth and he must be released immediately as freedom of expression was an inherent right of each and every individual in the country. She said that the Jang Geo Group had a long history of existence parallel to Pakistan and this group has always promoted the country in rest of world.

She added that the publications and broadcast of this group possessed global credibility and had a reach of millions of people. Others who spoke at protest demonstration included All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation’s secretary general Shakil Yamin Kanga, Javed Press Employees Union’s general secretary Rana Yusuf, The News Employees Union general secretary Dara Zafar and senior journalist Khalid Mehmood.