Condemnations continue to pour in over arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in fake case

KARACHI: Condemnations continued to pour in on Saturday afternoon over the arrest of Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Geo Media Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a fake case by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

NAB had on Thursday arrested MSR in connection with property allegedly bought illegally from a government entity more than 34 years ago. The property was in fact bought from a private party and all evidence of this was given to NAB and legal requirements fulfilled, such as duty and taxes.

On Saturday, PML-N leader Nasrullah Advocate slammed the attempt by authorities to muzzle the press in Pakistan. "The arrest is the latest in a series of tactics being used to silence the media," he said.  

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"Without a free press, democracy is not possible," he added. The PML-N leader further said that attempts to block the transmission of Geo TV or relocate it to back numbers should be stopped. 

In Badin, a union of journalists protested outside the press club to condemn the unlawful arrest of MSR. The journalists demanded that authorities release the detained immediately. 

The Karachi Union of Journalists also echoed the sentiments of their Badin counterparts. "The arrest is an attempt to silence the media into submission into toeing the government line," the body said. 

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"Geo TV has been relegated to back numbers on cable TV a day after the arrest of MSR. This is clearly an attempt to silence the media. We know cable operators are being pressured to do so," the body added. 

In a statement issued on Saturday, the European Union also condemned the arrest of MSR, saying that the union always supported freedom of speech in Pakistan and across the world. 

"The extension to the GSP-Plus status of Pakistan is closely linked to the freedom of the press. This was made clear in the review into the status granted to Pakistan," the EU said. 

Protests against the arrest were also carried out at press clubs in several cities of the country, including Vehari, Bahawalpur, Hyderabad, Khanewal, Lodhran, Muzzafargarh, Nowshera, Bajaur, Parachinar, and DI Khan, among others.