Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s arrest: Jang/Geo workers’ protest enters 145th day

RAWALPINDI: Senior journalists and workers of the Geo-Jang Group vowed on Wednesday to continue their protest till the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and paid tributes to him for playing the leading role for freedom of press in the country and upholding principles of independent press and right of expression.

The country wide protest of journalists and workers of Geo-Jang group along with the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, labour organizations, representatives of civil society and political workers against the illegal and unjustified arrest of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman since the last 145 days.

Addressing the protest outside the Jang Building in Rawalpindi, Secretary General PFUJ Nasir Zaidi paid the tributes to Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and said he was playing a leading role to uphold the freedom of media in the country and his services for the freedom of media are exemplary. He said the struggle of workers will be successful and Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman will soon be with the workers.

Chairman Joint Action Committee and President Jang Workers Union Rawalpindi Nasir Chisti said the workers of Geo and Jang group will not sit idle till the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan who used to point fingers on the other should see his own actions. Chief Reporter Jang Rana Ghulam Qadir, Amjad Ali Abbasi, Secretary General RIUJ and senior correspondent of Geo News Islamabad Asif Ali Bhatti said the justice was being denied in the case of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. He said Editor-in-Chief was arrested on the basis of unknown application.

In Lahore, senior journalists, civil society leaders, office-bearers of media unions and trade union of Jang Group strongly condemned NAB-Niazi collusion which has kept the Editor-in-Chief incarcerated for an unduly long period in a politically-motivated case.

They staged their 121st demonstration outside Jang offices at a protest camp of the workers of Geo, Jang and The News employees for the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman for the 121st consecutive day. Those who participated in the protest camp included Group Editor Jang Shaheen Qureshi, Secretary General of Jang Workers Union Farooq Malik, senior journalist Ishaq Shakir, News Editor of Pakistan Times Zaheer Anjum, The News Deputy Chief Reporter Asim Hussain, Tajammul Gurmani, Amir Taimur Malik, Awais Qarni, Sher Ali Khalti, Muhammad Shafiq, Aziz Sheikh, Munawwar Hussain, Muhammad Naeem, M Nawaz, Muhammad Wajed, Wahab Khanzada, Akmal Bhatti, Hafiz Asad, Mohammed Ali, Akmal Bhatti, Afzal Abbas and others.

Zaheer Anjum said media cannot work without freedom, as it plays the role of a watchdog for the society and country. He noted that similar victimization was resorted to by dictators like Gen Ayub Khan, Gen Ziaul Haq, Gen Pervez Musharraf in the past and now media workers are being victimized by Imran Khan who was selected by the establishment to curb media. He said the whole world knows the truth that Imran Khan was selected in sham elections and is now proving that he is now bent on proving that he is not representative of the masses and democracy. The participants chanted slogans against the ‘fascist regime’ and condemned the illegal and anti-media tactics of the NAB.

In Lahore, senior journalists, civil society leaders, office-bearers of media unions and trade union of Jang Group strongly condemned NAB-Niazi collusion which has kept the Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman detained in a politically-motivated case for the last 145 days without any proofs or any worthwhile progress in the investigations. They staged a demonstration outside Jang offices and demanded the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. Those who participated in the protest camp included Group Editor Jang Shaheen Qureshi, Secretary General of Jang Workers Union Farooq Malik, senior journalist Ishaq Shakir, News Editor of Pakistan Times Zaheer Anjum, The News Deputy Chief Reporter Asim Hussain among others.

Zaheer Anjum said media cannot work for the truth without freedom, as it plays the role of a watchdog for the society and country. He noted that such victimizations were forced by dictators like Gen Ayub Khan, Gen Ziaul Haq, Gen Pervez Musharraf in the past and now media workers are being victimized by Imran Khan who was selected by the establishment to curb media. He said the whole world knew the truth that Imran Khan was selected in sham elections and is now proving that he is not the representative of the masses and democracy. The participants chanted slogans against the ‘fascist regime’ and condemned the illegal and anti-media tactics of the NAB.