NA echoes with voices against Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s arrest

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Taking part in the budget debate, the opposition members in the National Assembly have advised the government to stop victimising political opponents and focus on improving the national economy.

Shazia Marri of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) expressed hope on Tuesday that the government would stop pointing fingers at the opposition and would provide relief to the masses. She also came down hard on the government for keeping Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, Editor-in-Chief of Jang Group, in detention.

“It is necessary to mention that the government is also making Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman its target of victimisation,” Marri said. She said the PTI government, which made hollow claims and false promises, had disappointed the masses with its performance.

She asked the ministers to respond to the criticism of opposition members but should not point a finger at them. “You cannot provide relief to the masses while pointing a finger at the opposition members,” she said, adding that the PTI leaders had learnt nothing while sitting on the opposition benches for five years. Demanding withdrawal of the 10th NFC award’s notification, Marri asked the federal government not to shift its failures to the provincial government.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Kheal Das Kohistani said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is being punished for upholding freedom of expression. The lawmaker said in the National Assembly that the freedom of expression is under curbs under the sitting rulers and human rights are being violated. He said the government was first putting politicians in jails and now it has turned its guns towards the media.

He said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is being punished for not sacking independent journalists like Ansar Abbasi, Saleem Safi, Arshid Waheed Chaudhry, Umar Cheema, Shahzeb Khanzada and others. He said when the leading media persons will be sacked and newspapers will be censored then who will publish the truth.

PML-N MNA Ardat Sharif said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has been arrested on the inquiry stage of a 34-year-old case. He said the Prime Minister used to collect donations with Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman during flood and now he has been arrested.

Another PML-N MNA Hamid Hameed said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is behind bars for independent reporting. MNA Waheed Alam said the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is the worst attack on freedom of expression. He said the anchorpersons reporting on incompetence of the government are on target of the government.

MNA Ayesha Rajab said the economy of the country is in tatters because the government is busy in suppressing the media. MNA Dr Nisar Cheema said the media is in chains under the current government as editor-in-chief of the largest media group is behind the bars.