Protest continues against arrest of Chief Editor

PESHAWAR: The media workers on Thursday continued the protest against the arrest of Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, in a 34-year old property case.

The workers carrying banners and placards, inscribed with slogans, urged the government to release Mir Shakil who represented the biggest media group of the country and was respected for promoting independent journalism.

Chanting slogans against the government and the National Accountability Bureau, the protesters vowed to continue the protest till the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and withdrawal of cases against him.

The protesters flayed the government for pressuring the Jang Group through such pressure tactics but hoped it would not be able to prevent the journalists from reporting the truth. The speakers, including Arshad Aziz Malik, Resident Editor of Jang in Peshawar, senior journalist Shakil Farman Ali and others said the people had the right to have access to information and the government cannot deprive them of this constitutional right. The speakers termed the arrest of Mir Shakil as unjust and a clear bid by the government to pressure the Jang Group and all those media houses which were pursuing independent journalism. They recalled that the government did not meet the legal requirements before arresting the Jang Group chief. The speakers said the arrest was an attack on press freedom and pointed to the victimization of the free media. The government, they said, wanted to gag the independent media and convey a warning to others to toe its line or face the same fate.