Detention of Editor-in-Chief flayed

PESHAWAR: The members of the journalist community flayed the detention of the Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, and demanded his release as they continued to stage protest against his arrest on Tuesday.

The protesters gathered outside the Daily Jang, The News and Geo TV offices at the Khyber Super Market with banners and placards in their hands inscribed with slogans. They were critical of the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and victimization of his Jang Group which is the largest media group of the country.

Among the speakers were Daily Jang Resident Editor Arshad Aziz Malik, Shakeel Farman Ali, Farmanullah Jan, Ihtesham Toru, Qaisar Khan, Gulzar Khan and others. They said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman had been behind bars since March 12 in a property case. The protesters said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had been following an anti-free media policy after assuming power two years back.

They said the media houses pursuing an independent policy were being targeted and various pressure tactics were employed against them. The protesters said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and the Jang Group were facing the wrath of the rulers for not falling in line and promoting independent journalism. They said legal experts were sure that the arrest of the Jang Group chief was against the law and unconstitutional.

The speakers said PTI government was using the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to victimize its opponents and the independent media, adding the latter had become a tool of the former. They said the government used various tactics to bring the Jang Group under pressure such as denying official advertisements and putting Geo TV transmissions at a frequency number with a view to lessen its viewership. The protesters appealed to the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take notice of the over five months long detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and provide him justice.