Govt criticised for victimising Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman

RAWALPINDI/ KARACHI/ LAHORE/ PESHAWAR/ BAHAWALPUR: The journalists and workers of the Geo-Jang Group held a protest against the illegal arrest of Editor-in-Chief of the Group, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, on Tuesday in Rawalpindi and appealed to the Supreme Court of Pakistan to do justice with Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

The countrywide protest of journalists and workers of Geo-Jang Group, along with the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists, representatives of the civil society and political workers, against the illegal and unjust arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has continued for the last 207 days.

At the protest camp outside the offices of Jang and The News in Rawalpindi, the participants of the demonstration chanted slogans and carried placards and banners for the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and also against the conspiracies against the Group.

Among others who participated in the protest were Secretary General Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Nasir Zaidi, Chairman Joint Action Committee of the workers of Geo-Jang Group and President Jang Workers Union Rawalpindi Nasir Chisti, Resident Editor Jang Rawalpindi Hanif Khalid, Secretary General Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists Asif Ali Bhatti, Chief Reporter Jang Rawalpindi Rana Ghulam Qadir, Naseerul Haq, Amjad Abbassi, Munir Shah, Nusrat Malik, Kamal Shah, Rahat Munir, Khalid Mehmood, Azhar Sultan, Aslam Butt and other workers of Jang and The News. The protesters while calling for the release of Editor-in-Chief said his arrest only meant to mute the free voice of the media.

The protesters said the struggle for the freedom of the media and release of the Editor-in-Chief will continue.

KARACHI: Speaking to the demonstration for the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, Siraikistan National Party’s president Anwar Bhutta on Tuesday remarked that the country had plunged downwards since the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan became the prime minister.

“This government has tightened its noose around its critics and general public, forcing industries to shut down and making future of millions of people uncertain,” Bhutta said at the protest camp outside the Jang-Geo offices in Karachi. “The government does not want people to know the truth about what is affecting them.”

He condemned the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and criticised the National Accountability Bureau for reducing itself to a mere political tool of the government to bash its opponents. He demanded immediate release of the Jang-Geo editor-in-chief from the prison and action against those who had forged the case against him.

Others who spoke at the protest camp included All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation’s secretary general Shakil Yamin Kanga, All Pakistan Rajpur Ittehad leader Raja Muhammad Babar, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists’ leader Qadir Abbasi, Javed Press Employees Union’s general secretary Rana Yusuf and The News Employees Union’s general secretary Dara Zafar.

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 detained for the last 207 days. Staging a demonstration outside the Jang offices on Tuesday at the protest camp for the 185th consecutive day, they criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking U-turns on his tall claims of over 20 years to turning 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 government. They lamented that the editor-in-chief was detained despite no progress in investigations into the corruption charges regarding the 34-year-old property exchange issue or any formal case being registered. The protesters termed it a blatant attack on media freedom and a conspiracy to close down the country’s largest media group. They shouted slogans against the fascist PTI regime and condemned the anti-media tactics of the NAB. Zaheer Anjum termed the PTI government the worst kind of fascist and authoritarian regime bent upon gagging the voice of media to prevent exposure of its own corruption and bad governance. Amer Malik said the media cannot work for the truth without freedom, as it played the role of watchdog for the society and country. Sher Ali Khalti said victimisation of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was a symbolic move to usurp media freedom.

PESHAWAR: Journalists flayed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for victimizing Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman as they continued the protest against his arrest on Tuesday.

Led by President of the Peshawar Press Club, Syed Bukhar Shah, the protesters converged on the lawn outside the offices of Daily Jang, The News and Geo TV to express anger at the vindictive actions by the rulers against the largest media group of the country and its owner. The protesters had banners and placards which were inscribed with various slogans and demanded the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. Syed Bukhar Shah, Nisar Mahmood, Arshad Aziz Malik, Shakeel Farman Ali, Farmanullah Jan, Ihtesham Toru, Gulzar Khan, Qaiser Khan, Amjad Safi, Imdad Ali Qazalbash and others spoke on the occasion. The slammed the PTI government for arresting Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman on dubious allegations and keeping him behind bars for almost seven months. The speakers condemned the pressure tactics being employed against the Jang Media Group in a bid to punish this free media house.

BAHAWALPUR: The Bahawalpur Union of Journalists and press club members on Tuesday staged a demonstration against the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. A rally was also taken out which was led by former VP of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and FEC member Muhammad Ameen Abbasi and Amin Basit while Syed Majeed Hashmi also participated in the protest. The protesting journalists chanted slogans against the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his immediate release.