Arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman: Journalist bodies to hold demo at PM House on Eid day

RAWALPINDI: The Jang/Geo Group workers along with the journalist organisations, civil society and political workers continued their protest on Wednesday against the illegal arrest of Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, who has been under detention since last 70 days without any charge.

The countrywide protest completed 70 days on Wednesday. The protesters chanted slogans holding placards inscribed with their demand of release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman and condemned the curbs on the freedom of media.

Addressing the protesters outside the offices of Jang and The News at Murree Road in Rawalpindi, the speakers called for release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and vowed to continue their protest till his release.

Secretary General RIUJ and senior correspondent of the Geo News Asif Ali Bhatti warned Shakil-ur-Rahman was not released till Edil Fitr, the journalist organisations along with the workers of Geo and Jang Group will stage a protest outside the Prime Minister House on Eid day.

He said everyone knows that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was arrested in fake and fabricated case. “All the journalist organizations including the Pakistan Federal Unions of Journalists (PFUJ) and RIUJ stood with Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Shakil-ur-Rahman,” he said.

Chairman Joint Action Committee and President Jang Workers Union Nasir Chisti said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman stood firm on his principled stance for the freedom of press even in jail while the workers of the Geo and Jang group continue their struggle for the cause of the freedom of media and release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman with high morals at the protest camp. “We will continue our struggle till the release of Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief from fake and fabricated case,” he said.

Chief Reporter Jang Rawalpindi Rana Ghulam Qadir said it was Geo and Jang group that brought Imran Khan to the post of the prime minister and when he assumed power he first targeted the Geo and Jang Group. “Hazrat Ali said, “When people avail themselves of fame and power, they not only changed but also stand exposed,” and it was proved now,” he said.

Senior member of Editorial Committee of the Jang Abbas Alam said Geo and Jang Group has introduced new dimensions in the journalism in the country under the leadership of their Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief.

Leader of the PML-N Imtiaz Taji demanded the higher judiciary to take notice of illegal arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. He said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has rendered the services for the journalism in the country and for the freedom of press in the country.

Media workers of the Jang Group, Munir Shah and Amjad Abbasi said the workers of the Geo and Jang Group stood with the PFUJ and RIUJ for the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and for the freedom of media in the country.

In Lahore, protesters belonging to various walks of life continued protest Wednesday against illegal detention of Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

The protesters including Jang Group Editor Shaheen Qureshi, Ateeq-ur-Rehman, president Rising Youth Organisation, Abdullah Malik, member of civil society, Maqsood Butt, Awais Qarni, Muhammad Farooq, secretary Jang Workers Union, Babar Wasim, Munawar Hussain, Rana Nayab, Shahid Aziz, Afsar Khan, Afzal Abbas and workers of Jang Group slammed the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

They were of the view that fascists wanted to suppress voice of media freedom; however, they would not succeed in their nefarious designs. They were confident that such attempts were bound to fail and independence of media would continue to prevail in future too. The NAB-Niazi nexus in this connection won’t succeed, they observed. Terming MSR’s arrest attack on free media in Pakistan, they urged the superior judiciary to take notice of illegal detention of media magnate with a view to fulfilling requirements of justice.

In Karachi, condemning the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, former Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan lawmaker Nishat Zia Qadri on Wednesday said that the federal government’s malicious campaign against independent media was tantamount to suppressing the truth which will not be accepted at any cost.

Reiterating support to the Jang Geo Action Committee, Qadri said the Organization for Restoration of Committee (MQM-Pakistan) chief Farooq Sattar had directed the party workers to stand with the media workers in their struggle for the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman to sustain the independence of media. He said that the government’s vendetta against the Jang Geo Group was evident from the fact that its editor-in-chief was languishing in jail without any FIR or reference or evidence. He said that this arrest was worsening the crisis of media industry.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists former secretary general Khursheed Abbasi said that in a bid to hide its own corruption, the government was attacking Jang Geo Group and had arrested Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman to pressure him to abandon his independent editorial policies and toe the government’s line.

Former Karachi Press Club’s secretary A H Khanzada said that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was being persecuted in a 34-year-old private transaction in a manner as if he had looted the country. He said that Rahman's only sin was that he headed the largest news group in the country and promoted truth.

Others who spoke at the demonstration included All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation’s secretary general Shakil Yamin Kanga, Javed Press Union’s general secretary Rana Yusuf, The News Union’s president Saeed Muhiuddin Pasha and general secretary Dara Zafar.

They demanded immediate release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and warned the government to stop its vengeful campaign against the Jang Geo Group. They said that due to the government nefarious designs, thousands of media workers were on the verge of losing their livelihoods. They said that the government was worsening the crisis in the country.

In Multan, the workers of Daily Jang, Geo News and The News along with politicians staged a demonstration against the arrest of Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and demanded his immediate release.

A delegation of Pak Sarzameen Party led by the party’s south Punjab president Karamat Sheikh, south Punjab general secretary Shaukat Ali Qureshi and south Punjab senior vice president Bilal Qureshi visited the protest camp of the Jang workers and expressed solidarity with them.

Speaking on the occasion, PSP south Punjab president Karamat Sheikh said that international journalists’ bodies had widely condemned the illegal arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman but the government allegedly wanted to curb free press in the country.

The international journalists’ organisations, including Committee to Protect Journalists and the Amnesty International termed the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman another incident of harassment of journalists in Pakistan, he told. He said that the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) had also condemned the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. He demanded immediate release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

In Peshawar, the workers of Jang Group continued to protest against the arrest of their Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands, the protesters asked the government to release Mir Shakil and withdraw cases against him forthwith.

The protesters criticised the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for trying to stifle the freedom of the press and victimise political opponents.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) provincial senior vice- president Rashid Mahmood Khan visited the camp to express solidarity with the workers of the Jang Group. Speaking on the occasion, Rashid Mahmood condemned the government for arresting Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a 34-year old property case.

Terming it an attack on the press, he said the sitting rulers were following anti-press and anti-media policies to stop them from highlighting the truth. He added the anti-media policies of the rulers had pushed thousands of media workers towards starvation.

He said the PML-N workers throughout the country would support the Jang Group workers on the directives of their leaders including former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif and opposition leader in National Assembly Mian Shahbaz Sharif.

He said the rulers were trying to suppress voice of the independent media by arresting Mir Shakil. The PML-N leader said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was using the national institutions against the opposition leaders for political victimisation. He said the NAB should investigate the mega corruption scandals, including the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Malam Jabba land scam, Billion Tree Tsunami project and the sugar and flour crises.

Resident Editor Daily Jang Peshawar Arshad Aziz Malik condemned the government for detaining Mir Shakil and said the workers of Jang Group would continue to protest till the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.