Politicians, newsmen continue protests against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s detention

ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami while condemning the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman announced that it was standing by with the journalists community for the cause of freedom of media and in a countrywide protest for the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

The countrywide protest of the workers of the Geo-Jang group on the call of the Joint Action Committee continued on Wednesday against the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. Addressing the protesting workers of the Geo-Jang Group at the call of the Joint Action Committee outside the Geo offices in Islamabad, Naib Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Liaquat Baloch said the government always faced embarrassment whenever they placed restrictions on the freedom of media. He said Jamaat-e-Islami always raised its voice for the freedom of media and will continue doing so. “Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is not only Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group but also the voice of free media and journalists,” he said. Baloch said all the journalists associations were raising their voice against the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-Ur-Rahman and Jamaat-e-Islami will stand by the workers of the Geo-Jang Group and journalists struggle for this just cause.

Chairman Senate’s Committee on Cabinet and Senator of JUI (F) Senator Talha Mehmood said the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo andJang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman was made to mute the independent voice of the Geo-Jang Group. “The JUI-F being a political party stands with the workers of the Geo-Jang Group for its struggle for the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman,” he said. He said the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-Ur-Rahman is simple persecution and condemned his arrest. “It was beyond understanding that how the government brought out a 34-year-old private business transaction to arrest Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-Ur-Rahman,” he said.

Former president Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob said the Jang Group has played a vital role in independence of Pakistan and for the country’s prosperity. He said the Geo-Jang Group also played a vital role to highlight the brutalities of Indian forces against the people of occupied Kashmir and in their struggle for the freedom of Kashmiris from Indian occupation. “People of Kashmir were praying for early release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman,” he said. He said instead of awarding Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman for his services for Pakistan, he was put behind the bars in a fake and fabricated case.

Former Adviser to Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and senior journalist Murtaza Durrani said journalists always struggled for the freedom of media and they will continue doing it. Ex-President Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Afzal Butt said journalists were struggling for the freedom of media for the last 50 years and the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-Ur-Rahman was the price for staying independent. He said Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-Ur-Rahman refused to terminate journalists from his group and in reaction he was sent to jail. He said the advertisements of the Geo, Jang and The News were stopped and the Geo-Jang Group were made to suffer financially. Former secretary general RIUJ (Dastoor) and senior correspondent Jang Ayub Nasir said all the legal and constitutional experts are declaring the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman as a victimization and an effort to mute the voice of free media.

Secretary General RIUJ and senior correspondent of Geo News Asif Ali Bhatti announced that journalists throughout the country will hold countrywide protests on Thursday against the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman. “We will foil all the efforts of he government to gag free media,” he said. He said the parliament must play its role to ensure the freedom of media as the constitution fully guarantees freedom of expression and media.

Senior correspondent of the Geo News Nausheen Yousaf said journalists were holding countrywide protests against the arrest of the Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman as they believe that this arrest is illegal and unconstitutional and only aims to curb the free media. Member of Joint Action Committee of workers of Geo-Jang Group Munir Shah said those who talk about the people of Pakistan are busy to silence the voice of the free media. “The arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman is illegal,” he said.

In Karachi, former Karachi Mayor, Farooq Sattar said the federal government has derailed democracy by arresting the Jang-Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Speaking at the protest demonstration outside the Jang- Geo offices in Karachi, Sattar said that the detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was reflective of suppressing the freedom of speech which was a fundamental right of every individual. He said the while the coronavirus pandemic has shaken the foundations of the whole global economic and social systems, the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has put a dent on the democracy in the country which has had a fair share of undemocratic norms. He remarked that instead of tackling the COVID-19, the government has found time to muzzle the independent media. Asking the government to mend its ways and release the Jang Geo editor-in-chief from NAB’s unlawful and unjust detention.

He said that media is the fourth pillar of the state and Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s arrest at the inquiry stage in a 34-year-old case explicitly tells that it is a vengeful political act. President, Karachi Press Club, Imtiaz Faran, said that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is being punished for maintaining independent editorial policy. Faran said the local and international journalist community have condemned the arrest of Jang Geo editor-in-chief and demanded his immediate release. He added that the NAB had no reason to arrest Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman but it only done so to please the government. Pledging to resist the govt-NAB nexus, Faran said the journalists will continue their struggle until his released.

The Jang Geo Action Committee had ended their hunger strike on the request of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman but their protest is going on across the country. Those who joined the protest camp include former lawmakers Jamal Ahmed, Engineer Kashif and Kamran Farooq, All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation’s secretary general Shakil Yamin Kanga, Geo News Karachi bureau chief Fahim Siddiqui, Javed Press Union’s general secretary Rana Yusuf and The News Employees Union’s general secretary Dara Zafar.

In Lahore, employees of the Jang and Geo Group continued nationwide protests Wednesday against the arrest of the Group’s Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Protest gatherings were also held in Faisalabad, Jaranwala and other cities of the country. A large number of journalists, employees and several political figures gathered in front of the Jang Group’s offices to record their protest against the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

They were joined by PML N Lahore President Pervaiz Malik and others, Punjab Union of Journalists President Qamar Zaman Bhatti, Lahore Press Club President Arshad Ansari, governing body member Imran Sheikh, Jang Workers Union secretary Mohammad Farooq, Raees Ansari, Pervaiz Bashir, Maqsood Butt, Maqsood Awan, Khizar Hayat and workers of Jang, The News, Geo and people from different walks of life.

PUJ’s former president Ijaz Khokhar, president Jamaat-e-Ulema-e-Islam Syed Maqbool Hussain Bokhari, Yasin Mughal, Asghar Ali, Hafiz Mohammad Nadeem and Maulana Faizul Mohammad Noorani expressed their solidarity by joining the hunger strike camp and demanded immediate release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

They said continuous detention of Jang/Geo Editor-ijn-Chief is damaging country’s image. The government did not like criticism and when the Jang Group presented the truth before the nation, the rulers started threatening the media.