Protesters demand immediate release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman: Khushbakht Shujaat demands release of Jang-Geo Group Editor-in-Chief

LAHORE: A protest demonstration against the detention of Geo-Jang Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was held at Davis Road here on Sunday.

The protest participants condemned the detention and demanded immediate and honourable release of the Jang-Geo Editor-in-Chief. Besides media workers and journalists from Geo, The News, Jang and Awaz newspapers, representatives of the media organisations participated in the demonstration, held outside the Geo/Jang offices.

Among others who participated in the protest and spoke on the occasion included Maqsood Butt, Tajammul Gurmani, Ameer Tairmur, Riaz Hussain, Jang Workers Union General Secretary Muhammad Farooq Awan, Awais Qarni and Zaheer Anjum. The speakers said that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was under unlawful detention for over 100 days now, which was a violation of basic human rights, the Constitution of Pakistan and laws of the land. They said his arrest was, in fact, an attempt to suppress the media freedom in Pakistan.

In Peshawar, the workers of the Jang/Geo Group continued the protest against the arrest of their Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman on Sunday. They were holding banners and carrying placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands.

Meanwhile, prominent showbiz personality and former Member National Assembly Khushbakht Shujaat on Sunday condemned the illegal arrest of Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, who has been under detention for the past 110 days without any charge. She said that the Jang Group has been a source of knowledge and wisdom for several generations in the country but unfortunately, instead of respecting the institutions, the current rulers have been making conspiracies to destroy it as revenge. “I fully condemn the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a 34-year-old private property case and term it negative thinking of the incumbent government,” she said.