RAWALPINDI: The countrywide protests by workers of the\nGeo-Jang Group along with a large cross-section of civil society, political\nworkers and journalist organizations continued on Monday against the\ngovernment’s draconian restrictions on the constitutionally-guaranteed\nfundamental right of press freedom and independence of expression, which have\nof late resulted in the persecution of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group\nMir Shakil-ur-Rahman through his illegal and unjust arrest on a purely private\nand settled transaction 34 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Rawalpindi, the protest by workers of Geo-Jang Group\nentered into the 53nd day on Monday against the continued persecution of\nEditor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman through his uncalled\nfor arrest. They also raised slogans and carried placards inscribed with\ndemands. Addressing the protest camp, the Secretary General Pakistan Federal\nUnion of Journalists (PFUJ), Nasir Zaidi said the journalist fraternity in the\ncountry was united to protect the freedom of media and ready to sacrifice for\nthe freedom of media. He said the purpose of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s arrest was\nto muffle the independent media but they were mistaken in their belief that\nthey would be able toachieve that. Editor Reporting Jang Rana Ghulam Qadir said\nthe state of affairs signify that a civil dictatorship has been imposed on the\ncountry. He said Editor-in-Chief of Geo-Jang Group is in high spirits and and\nis committed to his principles. Secretary General RIUJ and senior correspondent\nGeo News Asif Ali Bhatti said the rulers were pressurizing the media to paint a\nlandscape of all good in the country, against the starkly opposite ground\nrealities, which was not acceptable to Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman and he was arrested\nin an illegal, fake and fabricated case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior Sports Reporter of Jang Shakil Awan and media workers\nof Jang Group Munir Shah said the journalists were united to foil the attempts\nby the government. They said not only the entire community but the global\ncommunity was watching the illegal arrest of the Editor in Chief with strong\nconcerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Karachi, the employees of the Jang-Geo Group were joined\nat the protesters camp by a large section of teachers, trade unionists and political\nactivists to express solidarity with them and demanded the unconditional\nrelease of Editor-In-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veteran trade unionist and People’s Labor Bureau Sindh\nPresident Habibuddin Junaidi said the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was\ntantamount to putting chains and fetters around the independent journalism. He\nsaid that the previous government also tried to pressurise the Jang-Geo Group\nto change its editorial line but it emerged triumphant for siding with the\ntruth. Junaidi said that the country lacks leadership as Prime Minister Imran\nKhan had failed and he has created uncertainty by attacking the media which has\nalarmed everyone. He referred to the fellow protesters from the teachers\u2019\nfraternity and said that people from every walk of life are with the Jang Geo\nAction Committee and could take to streets at its call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sindh Professors and Lecturers Association President,\nProfessor Syed Ali Murtaza, said that the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was a\nconspiracy being hatched against the Fourth Estate and the nation has seen\nthrough these designs and are condemning these dictatorial measures. He\ndemanded forthwith release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. The SPLA Karachi president\nProfessor Munawwar Abbas expressed the teachers support for the Jang-Geo Action\nCommittee. He said that the Group enjoys wide credibility among its readers and\nviewers. He asked the government under what law Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was taken\ninto custody in the 34-year-old private transaction. He demanded that Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman\nshould be released immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All Pakistan Newspapers Employees Confederation secretary\ngeneral Shakil Yamin Kanga said that the government\u2019s plan to suppress the\nmedia has been reflected in the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. He said that the\ngovernment wanted to pressurise Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman to toe its line. Kanga\nsaid that all the journalist associations, media and human rights associations\nacross the world were demanding the unconditional release of Jang Geo Group\nEditor-in-Chief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others who spoke at the demonstration included SPLA\u2019s\nProfesor Maqsood Ahmed, Karachi Development Authority Union chairman Hussain\nIbrahim Kaka, PLB\u2019s Amin Baloch, Nazir Awan, Irshad Swati, The News Union Syed\nMuhiuddin Pasha, Javed Press Union\u2019s Rana Muhammad Yousuf and Iqbal Khaksar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newspaper: The\nNews<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RAWALPINDI: The countrywide protests by workers of the Geo-Jang Group along with a large cross-section of civil society, political workers and journalist organizations continued on Monday against the government’s draconian restrictions on the constitutionally-guaranteed fundamental right of press freedom and independence of expression, which have of late resulted in the persecution of Editor-in-Chief of Geo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[4],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanfoemonitor.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8977"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanfoemonitor.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanfoemonitor.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanfoemonitor.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanfoemonitor.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanfoemonitor.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8977\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanfoemonitor.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanfoemonitor.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanfoemonitor.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}