Protest continues against arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman

PESHAWAR: The workers of Jang/Geo Group continued the protest outside their offices on Monday against the arrest of their Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.

Carrying banners and placards, they chanted slogans against the government and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Former MPA and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) vice-president Dr Faiza Rashid visited the camp along with her supporters and office-bearers of the city district to express solidarity with the media workers. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Faiza Rashid said they did not accept the selected accountability by the prime minister and his government.

She condemned the accountability by the government, saying it was deplorable to note that the selected rulers started strangulating the media, which had made him a leader. Dr Faiza Rashid said the present rulers had left behind dictators in their anti-media policy.

Terming Mir Shakil’s detention as illegal, she posed a question as to how the government kept chief editor of the major media group under detention for the last 115 days without proving a single case against him. She demanded the immediate release of Mir Shakil and withdrawal of cases against him. President Peshawar Press Club Syed Bukhar Shah recalled that Mir Shakil had been detained in a 34 years old property case.

Terming it an attack on independent media, she demanded the immediate release of Mir Shakil and withdrawal of cases against him. The detention of Mir Shakil and anti-media policy of the government has delayed salaries of the workers throughout the country.

The senior journalists including Arshad Aziz Malik, Shakeel Farman Ali and others condemned the detention of Mir Shakil and demanded his immediate release and withdrawal of cases against him.

MINGORA: Expressing solidarity with the Editor-in-Chief of Jang/Geo Group, the journalists in Swat staged a protest against the illegal detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman outside Swat Press Club on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion President of the Swat Union of Journalists and others said that democracy could not sustain without a free media, and added that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was fighting for the freedom of the media. “The Jang Group editor-in-chief is a symbol of media freedom and courage for all media workers. Illegal detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is aimed at silencing those voices which are struggling for free and fair media”, said one of the speakers, Mahboob Ali.

“It is the right time to raise voice for the editor-in-chief of Jang Group as the fascist government, is busy suppressing the free voices”, said Ghulam Farooq, Chief organizer, Swat Press Club. He added that tyranny would not remain forever and he hoped Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman would get justice soon.

“Pro-democracy and transparency forces need to come forward and support the freedom of media. National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is trying to pressurize Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman to quit his independent editorial policies.

But it will never succeed to meet these illegal goals”, said Shahzad Alam, President of the Swat Press Club. Others who spoke on this the occasion included senior journalists, Sheraz Khan, Subhaullah, Haider Ali Jan, Akhtar Gul and Fazal Rahim Khan.