Media workers continue protest: Demand for release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman renewed

PESHAWAR: The media workers of the Jang/Geo Group continued the protest against the illegal detention of their Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil here on Tuesday and renewed the demand for his release.

They were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands. Chanting slogans against the government and National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the workers lamented that the head of the biggest media group of the country had been under custody for the last 118 days without any crime. They recalled that the leaders and representatives of almost all the major political parties and organizations had visited their camps.The protesters said each and every one including prominent legal experts and lawyers had termed Mir Shakil’s detention illegal and unconstitutional but still the government and authorities had adopted mum over the ongoing injustices with the editor-in-chief of the Jang Group. The workers said Mir Shakil had been arrested even when the investigations into the 34 years old property case had not been completed. It, they said, was also astonishing to note that Mir Shakil was cooperating with the NAB and all the documents had been in the possession of the bureau but still he was denied justice. The speakers, including Arshad Aziz Malik, Shakeel Farman Ali, Shah Zaman and others said Mir Shakil would not bow to the rulers pressure who were bent on strangulating independent voice of the media.They said the independent media would continue to perform its duty and highlight truth and corruption of the rulers. The speakers said the government should have conducted accountability of the corrupt who were involved in the mega corruption scandals but that was not done. They demanded immediate release of Mir Shakil and withdrawal of cases against him.

They appealed to chief justice Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the case to provide justice to Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman who had been kept under detention without meeting legal requirements.