Journalists demand release of Chief Editor

PESHAWAR: Journalists on Thursday continued the protest against the arrest of Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and termed this detention as anti-democratic move and a bid to gag the press in the country.

Carrying banner and placards, the members of Khyber Union of Journalists and Peshawar Press Club gathered outside the office of the Jang, Geo and The News. They chanted slogans against the government and National Accountability Bureau for implicating Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a fake case. “The government wants to silence all dissenting voices to hide its on failure,” said Imran Yousafzai, the general secretary of the Peshawar Press Club.

He said the journalists were united against the undemocratic moves of the government. Aziz Buneri, in his speech condemned the arrest of Mir Shakil and asked the apex court to take suo motu notice of the case as the head of the largest media group of the country had been in detention for 97 days.

Arshad Aziz Malik, Resident Editor of Daily Jang, said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was being punished for highlighting the truth. He said such steps were earning a bad name for the country.