If Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman not released, protesters warn of holding demo outside NAB

RAWALPINDI/LAHORE: The journalists and workers of the Geo and Jang Group, while protesting against the illegal and unjustified long incarceration of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, warned that if he was not released, then the workers did not have any other option but to hold a peaceful protest outside the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The journalists and workers of Geo and Jang Group, along with the journalists’ organisations, representatives of the civil society and political workers, continued their protest on Wednesday against the illegal and long incarceration of 236-days of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

They gathered outside the offices of Jang and The News in Rawalpindi and chanted the slogans and raised the placards for the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Addressing the protest camp outside the offices of Jang and The News in Rawalpindi, Secretary General Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Nasir Zaidi said the journalists of the country foil all the attempts to gag the voice of media in the country and continue their struggle for achieving the constitutional right of freedom of media in the country. He said the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was only meant to mute the free voice of the media.

Chairman Joint Action Committee of workers of Geo and Jang Group and President Jang Workers union Rawalpindi Nasir Chisti said the patience of workers of Geo and Jang Group should not be tested as if Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was not released then there was no option but to hold a peaceful protest outside the NAB office.

Resident Editor Jang Rawalpindi Hanif Khalid said that Geo and Jang Group always did the journalism as a noble cause and never compromise on the matter of freedom of media in the country.

Secretary General Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists Asif Ali Bhatti said the struggle for the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and for the freedom of the media in the country will continue.

Chief Reporter Jang Rawalpindi Rana Ghulam Qadir said those who conspire against the Geo and Jang Group will face the defeat as the workers of Geo and Jang Group stood united to protect their media group.

Workers of Geo and Jang Group Malik Nusrat, Kamal Shah, Naseerul Haq, Azhar Sultan, Aslam Butt, Athar Naqvi and other social and political workers besides the workers of Jang and The News demanded the release of the Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and vowed to continue their struggle till his release.

Protests against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s detention continue Meanwhile in Lahore, journalists, civil society members, office bearers of media unions and trade union of Jang group continued protests against the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, the Editor-in-Chief of country’s largest media group, Jang Group and Geo TV, on Wednesday for the 214th consecutive day.

Mir Shakil has been detained for the last 236 days under NAB custody over a 35-years old property exchange matter without giving any proof of charges or making any progress in the investigations.

Staging demonstration outside the Jang offices, the protesters criticized Prime Minister Imran Khan for backing out on his 20-years claims to turn Pakistan into a Madinah-like state, alleging that he used the slogan only to hoodwink masses and win elections through media support. Imran Khan, they said, was victimising Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman for exposing the corruption and bad governance of PTI regime, lamenting that Mir Shakil was detained despite that no progress was made either in investigations into the corruption charges of 35 years old property exchange case nor any formal case was registered. The participants termed it a blatant attack on media freedom and a conspiracy to close down country’s largest media group. They chanted slogans against the fascist PTI regime and condemned using NAB for media’s arm twisting. They demanded the immediate release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and threatened to launch anti-government movement across the country if he was not released.

The participants in the protest included Group Editor, Jang, Shaheen Qureshi, Secretary General Jang Works Union Malik Farooq Awan, News Editor of Pakistan Times, Zaheer Anjum, senior journalists Awais Qarni, Sher Ali Khalti, Shafiq Ahmad, Singer Niaz A Khan, Munawwar Hussain, Ms Ayesha Akram, Romeo Jalib, Aziz Sheikh, Shahid Aziz, Shamsi Baloch, Mohammad Akbar, Muhammad Ali, Akmal Bhatti, Afzal Abbas, Zahid Mehmood, Shahzad Rauf, and others.

Shaheen Qureshi termed PTI government as 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. Zaheer Anjum said media cannot work for the truth without freedom, as it played the role of watchdog for the country.