Jang/Geo workers continue protest against MSR's illegal arrest

RAWALPINDI: Workers and journalists of Geo and Jang group on Friday continued a protest against the illegal arrest of Jang/Geo Group Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, who has been behind bars without being charged for the last 106 days in relation to a 34-year-old private business transaction.

The journalists and workers, along with journalists' organisations, political workers and the Federal Unions of Journalists held their protest outside the offices of Jang and The News at Murree Road in Rawalpindi as they called for MSR’s release.

Secretary-General Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Nasir Zaidi said the journalists have in fact been struggling for the stability of the democratic system for the last 106 days. He said whenever the media was in chains, democracy could not flourish in the country.

Zaidi added that the rulers want to suppress the voice of a media house which brings the truth before the people. “Free media is a voice of the people and Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman brought facts before the people, which rulers dislike,” he said.

Chairman Joint Action Committee of the Workers of Geo and Jang Group Islamabad and President Workers Union Rawalpindi Nasir Chisti said free media was necessary for democracy and when the media is not free, democracy can also not flourish.

He said the workers' protest for the release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman will continue till his release. 

Chief Reporter Jang Rawalpindi Rana Ghulam Qadir said Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was arrested on a fake and fabricated application from an unknown person. “Though the name of the ruling party is Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), there is no justice for innocents,” he said.

Secretary-General RIUJ and senior correspondent Geo News Asif Ali Bhatti said the Editor-in-Chief of Geo/Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman has a firm belief in democracy and freedom of media and refuses to make any compromises on his principled stance.

Media workers of Jang Group Muzaffar Bhatti, Munir Shah, Amjad Ali Abbasi, and Malik Yousaf noted that all the journalists of Pakistan and international organisations of journalists, human rights activists and intellectuals had been demanding Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman's arrest.

In Lahore, taking part in a demonstration over the illegal arrest of Jang/Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, civil society members, senior journalists, representatives of media and trade union bodies vehemently criticised what they called the anti-media policies of the government.

Jang’s Group Editor Shaheen Qureshi, advocate Iftikhar Shahid, PPP leader Shahida Jabeen, Rehman Shahid, Zaheer Anjum, Amjad Farooq Kallu, Awais Qarni, Shahab Ansari, Sher Ali Khalti, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Shahid, Akmal Bhatti and other senior journalists regretted that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman had been imprisoned in a politically-motivated case. 

They termed his detention an effort to curb media freedom in the country. Unfortunately, they observed, there is no progress in the investigation into the decades-old property case against MSR. They termed such intimidating acts as a planned attack on press freedoms which was aimed at gagging independent voices.

In Peshawar, the workers of Jang, Geo and The News held banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands and against the government, seeking MSR’s release and withdrawal of the cases instituted against him.

Condemning the government and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for detaining the head of the major media group, the speakers said MSR was arrested even without the completion of the investigation process. They vowed to continue the struggle until the acceptance of their demands, saying such cheap tactics had never pressured them in the past nor would they do so now.

Terming the arrest of MSR an attack on the independent press, the protesters criticised the PTI and NAB nexus for victimising opponents and silencing independent voices. 

Originally published in The News