Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s arrest: Resolve renewed to continue protest

LAHORE: A protest demonstration against the illegal arrest and continued detention of Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was staged Friday on Davis Road.

The protesters warned if Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was not released soon, a ‘Long live the free Press-down with Imran Khan’ campaign would be launched and street protests would be staged in front of the provincial assembly chambers.

The protesters included Jang’s Group Editor Shaheen Qureshi, Jang’s chief reporter Maqsood Butt, Jang Workers’ Union Secretary Muhammad Farooq, Pakistan Inqalabi Party Chairman Mushtaq Chaudhry, Maqsood Awan, Khizar Hayat Gondal, Zaheer Anjum, Awais Qarni, Muhammad Wajid, Aziz Sheikh, Shahid Aziz, Munawar Hussain, Muhammad Ali, Akmal Bhatti, Wahhab Khanzada and Afzal Abbas besides a number of Jang, The News and Geo employees and people from various walks of life.

The speakers said the media freedom could not be surrendered the way a fascist group ruling the country is wishing for. They said the PTI government was trying to gag the voice of democracy. They said the detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman represented an attack on the freedom of expression. They said MSR had always stood for the freedoms and rights of the people of Pakistan. They said he had always upheld the truth.

They said the battle-lines were drawn today not between the Jang, The News and Geo and the State but between the 220 million people of Pakistan and a fascist government led by Imran Khan. They said the NAB-Niazi alliance would never last. They warned that such tactics could not succeed in removing Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman from the scene or scaring him away. They said the superior judiciary should take notice of the matter and see to it that the demands of justice were met. Editor-in-Chief’s detention, they said, was illegal by any standard and therefore condemnable. They said the struggle for MSR’s release and acquittal would go on. The speakers said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was behind bars for the last 91 days without justification.

In Peshawar, the media workers from the Jang/Geo Group on Friday reiterated the resolve to continue the protest till the release of their head Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and withdrawal of the cases against him.

The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands. They have been staging a camp for the last 88 days to protest against the detention of Editor-in-Chief of Daily Jang, The News and Geo but all those concerned were looking the other way. The workers in separate speeches recalled that head of the biggest media group of the country had been detained in a 34 years old property case. They recalled that all required legal formalities were met for inking the property dead and there was nothing wrong with that.

They came down hard on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for arresting Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman even without completing the investigation into the very case. Flaying the PTI-NAB nexus, they said the government should make those accountable involved in the mega scandals if it was really interested in reforms and change. They said the so-called champions of the change first stopped the release of the government advertisements to the Jang Group and later changed the frequency of the Geo TV to victimise the group for not toeing the official line despite all pressures. The speakers hoped such cheap tactics could not pressurise the Jang Group in the past nor would the present rulers succeed.

They said the workers had rendered sacrifices in the past and would do so in future to maintain their independence and would continue highlighting the truth. The speakers, including Arshad Aziz Malik, Sabz Ali Shah, Shakeel Farman Ali, Shah Zaman, Imdad Ali Qazalbash and others urged the rulers to release Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and withdraw cases against him.

In Karachi, the Jang-Geo workers continued their over 80 day protest near the offices of Jang-TheNews-Geo News against the presectution of their group and that of Editor In chief Mir Shakilu Ur Rahman. The protest was attended by a cross section of group's workers, media and journalist organisations, labour unions and political leaders.

Peoples Labor Bureau leader Amin Baloch on Friday said that the federal government and National Accountability Bureau have added another black chapter in the history of Pakistan by detaining Jang Geo Group editor-in-chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman for three months now without any FIR against him.

Baloch said that the federal government was running a vengeful campaign against opposition parties and independent media which the people of Pakistan will always remember. He said that detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was totally in violation of the law and constitution. He said that Jang Geo Group has a history of serving the interests of Pakistan since its beginning and the government wanted to shut it down to satisfy its ego. He said that the attack on Jang Geo Group was tantamount to depriving millions of people of Pakistan from their right to truth and information.