Jang/Geo group continues hunger strike, protests for Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s release

KARACHI: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F leader Qari Usman said on Tuesday that Jang-Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman will emerge triumphantly from the false accusations against him and the federal government will face a

certain defeat.

Usman was speaking at the hunger strike camp on its fifth day outside the Jang-Geo offices in Karachi, demanding the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman from the illegal and unjust detention from NAB's custody. He said the government is set to face embarrassment because of its incompetency. He added that not only the journalists and advocates of democracy but the whole 230 million people of Pakistan were demanding release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Usman said that at a time when the country needed solidarity among its people and institutions, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government was bent on vendetta. He termed the case against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman bogus and added that his arrest at the inquiry stage spoke of prime minister Imran Khan's vengeful politics. Speaking of the government's so-called accountability campaign in which predominantly the politicians from the opposition benches were targeted, the JUI-F leader said that Imran Khan should also be held accountable on how he acquired Bani Gala and to build his private residence and also for the corruption of his cohorts. Aalmi Majlis Tahaffuz Khatam-e-Nubuwwat, Karachi, Amir Ijaz Mustafa said that the government will have to pay for what it is doing. He demanded that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman should be exonerated and the government should stop its smear campaign against him and his news group. Senior lawyer and political activist Sathi Ishaq said that the legal fraternity was convinced that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was being subjected to an illegal and unconstitutional treatment and announced that he and his associates will provide every legal assistance to him, if need be.

Senior journalist Mazhar Abbas said that the government wanted to gag the media through harassment and financial pressure but the journalist community will not let this happen and will resist these designs with unity. Others who spoke at the demonstration included All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation's secretary general Shakil Yamin Kanga, The News Employees Union's general secretary Dara Zafar, Javed Press Union's general secretary Rana Yusuf and Geo News Karachi bureau chief Fahim Siddiqui.

Asim Yasin adds from Islamabad: The workers of Geo, Jang and The News continued the Hunger Strike camp at the call of the Joint Action Committee on the fifth consecutive day on Tuesday against the illegal arrest and for the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman outside the Geo News in Islamabad. Senior Correspondent The News Muhammad Anis, Senior Correspondent Jang Shahid Sultan and Azhar Jamal of the Jang Group participated in the hunger strike at the Hunger Strike Camp demanding the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman.

Speaking at the Hunger Strike Camp, Editor The News Rawalpindi-Islamabad Aamir Ghauri said if the cabinet of Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari was corrupt then why most of them were part of Imran Khan's cabinet. He said 70 percent of the people have become jobless in the tenure of the Prime Minister Imran Khan. The Chairman Joint Action Committee and President Jang Workers Union Nasir Chisthi said the workers of the Geo-Jang group stood by their Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman. While announcing his own hunger strike, he said the protest of the journalists and workers of the Geo and Jang group will continue till the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman.

Secretary General Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist Nasir Zaidi the politics have been defamed due to present rulers. He said the media is facing serious financial crisis and the media is under chains. “There will be no compromise on the freedom of the media and will continue the struggle against its coercion and will not be part of tactics to hide the truth from the people,” he said.

Ex-President PFUJ Afzal Butt announced a countrywide protest of the journalists against the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman from April 16 (Thursday). Ex-president National Press Club Shakil Anjum said its seems that we are living in the society where justice is denied. “The present rulers are taking dictatorial steps to mute the voice of free media,” he said. He said Imran Khan had stated many times that Geo News was behind his political success. Senior correspondent of Geo News Asif Ali Bhatti said Mir Khali-ur Rehman was jailed for independent editorial policy which was not liked by the rulers. “It was Geo-Jang group that turned player Imran Khan into politician,” he said. He asked if the government stops the payment of advertisement of the media houses then how could the workers' salaries be paid. Senior Journalist of Voice of America Ali Shah said the government is vindictive against Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman is not correct. “The journalists who were lashed during General Zia's dictatorship are our real heroes,” he said.

Senior correspondent of Jang Tanveer Hsahmi said Imran Khan's only focus is to humble the Jang group to stop it from showing real picture to the people. Senior correspondent Muhammad Anis said the NAB-Niazi nexus has been exposed with the arrest of the Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman. Senior correspondent Jang Shahid Sultan said there were people who have parked ill gotten money in Australia and other countries and continue to work along with Imran Khan but no one questioned them. Ex-Secretary General RIUJ Bilal Dar said despite arresting Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, the NAB has failed to prove its allegations against him. Senior Journalist Shafiq Ahmed said that the NAB has arrested Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman on trumped up charges.

Likewise in Peshawar, the media workers of the Jang-Geo group continued the protest camp on the 9th consecutive day despite heavy rain to demand the release of the Jang, The News and Geo Editor-in-Chief, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. The participants of the camp termed the arrest based on ill-intentions and demanded immediate release of the editor-in-chief. Meanwhile, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman sent a message to the protesting media workers to wind up the camp as the coronavirus situation was turning alarming and he was concerned about their health and safety. The hunger strike camp was wrapped up keeping in view the message, but it was decided that the protest campaign would continue until MSR's release.

In Abbottabad, the journalists alongwith political leaders of all major parties continued the protest outside the Press Club urged the government to release Mir Shakil Rehman. The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Aurangzeb Nalotha, PML-N Zulfiqar Javed Abbasi, Sardar Zoq Akhtar, former general secretary, Tehreek Sooba Hazara, Sardar Fida Hussain, Pakistan People's Party, Fawad Ali Jadoon, President Abbottabad Press Club, Mohammad Amir Shahzad, general secretary, Raja Haroon addressed the participants. The members of electronic media and member civil society attended the camp as well. The speaker condemned the government for arresting Mir Shakeel in a 34 years old property case. They said the government was victimizing and using NAB to suppress the opposition leaders and independent press but the rulers would not succeed in this bid.

In Multan: Politicians, lawyers and civil society activists have condemned the arrest of Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his immediate release.

They made the demand during their visit to the hunger strike camp of the Jang/Geo staffers at SP Chowk to express solidarity with them. A large number of journalists also visited the hunger strike camp and expressed solidarity with Jang/Geo Group workers.

Speaking on the occasion, Pakistan People’s Party senior leader and former judge Habibullah Shakir strongly condemned the illegal arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and said that the NAB had done a job beyond its limits. The complaint against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was under investigation when the NAB arrested him, he added. He said that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was a media Guru and his arrest was allegedly a part of the government policy to squeeze freedom of press.

Habibullah Shakir said that the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was extra constitutional and the state should avoid dictating the media. PPP south Punjab vice president Khawaja Rizwan Alam said that the PPP always raised voice for the freedom of press and his party was with the Jang/Geo Group in the present ordeal.

Paying rich tributes to the Jang/Geo Group on taking a bold stance for the freedom of press, he said that it was very pathetic that the journalists had been fighting for the freedom of press and media for the last 70 years.

Ex-MPA Babu Nafis Ansari said that Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was being victimised. He said that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was arrested in a 34 years old case, which did not fall in the domain of the NAB. PPP Multan city president Malik Nasim Laber, Seraiki nationalist Abida Bokhari, PPP Railways Union president Bashir Malik and Jang/Geo Group workers, including Zafar Aheer, Nadeem Shah, Malik Shahadat Hussain, Nisar Awan and Rauf Maan, were also present on the occasion.