Says democracy, media concomitant to each other; expresses solidarity with Geo/Jang Group workers by attending protest; civil society, political parties, journalists reiterate their commitment to freedom of expression; speakers call for unity; say attack on Hamid Mir being used as 9/11 to silence journalism; warn of countrywide protest, sit-ins outside the houses of ‘actor anchors’; criticise Imran Khan for his unfounded allegations

LAHORE: Federal Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed has said that the government will not allow any media house, including Geo/Jang Group, to be banned.

The information minister said this during his visit to a protest demonstration outside the Geo/Jang Offices to express solidarity with the Group workers and journalists and vowed that the Geo/Jang Group would not be banned or suspended on any pretext.

“I assure you Jang and Geo will not be banned,” the minister said, adding that the government was not in favour of any kind of curbs on the independent media. “Democracy and media are concomitant to each other.”

Earlier, continuing their protest against the malicious and targeted campaign against the Geo/Jang Group, the speakers said the attack on Hamid Mir was being used as a 9/11 to silence media and close down the largest media house of the country.

Carrying banners and placards, inscribed with slogans in favour of Hamid Mir and Geo/Jang Group, hundreds of protesters, including members of civil society, journalists, labour unionists, workers of political and religious parties and representatives of lawyer’s community, gathered outside the Geo/Jang Offices here on Davis Road.

The protesters demanded immediate restoration of Geo transmission and arrest of culprits behind the attack on Hamid Mir. They also condemned the incidents of torching the vehicles carrying Jang Group’s newspapers in Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Shabab-e-Milli President Badar Khan, Civil Society Network President Abdullah Malik, Pakistan Justice Party Chairman Munsif Awan and senior journalists Shaheen Qureshi, Sohail Warraich, Khawar Naeem Hashmi, Wasif Nagi and Maqsood Butt were prominent among the participants.

Jang Worker Union President Rukhsana Nazli and General Secretary Waseem Babar, Bedar Bakht Butt, Waheed Butt, Khalid Farooqi, PFUJ Senior Vice President Ijaz Mirza, JI Deputy Secretary Information Qaiser Sharif, Akbar Jatoi, Gohar Butt, Asim Hussain, Rauf Sheikh, Kamal Azeem, Khalid Khattak, Shahid Aslam, Nauman Wahab, Asher Butt, Amer Malik, Farhat Abbas Shah, Farah Zia, Mahmood Ahmed, Ameen Hafeez, Rasheed Ali, Ijaz Manzoor, Jawwad Malik, Nadeem Zia, Zahid Ahmed, Fakhira Tehreem, Shahzada Irfan, Zahid Rafique Bhatti, Waqar Gillani, Shehrayar Warraich, Muneer Khokhar, Sharafat Ali, Rana Shahid and Raja Arsalan Khan were also present on the occasion.

The other participants included Ali Zafar, Awais Qarni, Muhammad Shafique, Arshad Shafique, Tariq Jamal, Mirza Naseer Baig, Azhar Maqbool, Muhammad Babar, Sabir Awan, Shahida Parveen, Huma Mir Hassan, Talha Anwar Zaidi, Siraj Qadri, Muhammad Hussain, Muhammad Obaid, Salman Rasool, Saeed Aziz, Tahir Saleem, Sohail Butt, Imdad Qureshi, SM Aqeel, Awais Ashraf, Usman Saleem, Zain-ul-Abedin, Naeem Sarfraz, Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Kashif, Waris Ali, Ejaz Rasool, Imran Rafique, Adnan Shabbir, Amer Riaz, Hammad Waheed, Abdul Qavi, Gohar Ayub, Usman, Khalid Saleem, Rahat Ali Dar, Mubeen Bhatti, Nauman Siddiqui, Naseem-ur-Rehman and Muhammad Masud.

Asim Hussain, speaking on the occasion, said the attack on Hamid Mir was being used as a 9/11 against the media. Pakistani journalism was passing through a very crucial phase, he remarked while describing it a as a big test for everyone.

Asim said some so-called anchors had hijacked the noble profession on the directives of ‘angels’ and causing unbearable loss to independent media and democracy. He said those hurling abuses and terming Geo and Jang as traitors should pity on themselves as everyone knew their past and the present.

He called for unity among the journalist community to fight the ‘angels’, who, he said, wanted to silence the leader of independent media. He said the Geo/Jang Group was being targeted only for raising voice against the Protection of Pakistan Ordinance whom he termed as a black law.

Munsif Awan said the whole drama of targeting Geo/Jang Group was being staged only to teach the largest media house a lesson for raising its voice over the treason trial of former dictator Pervez Musharraf. He said the only objective of the anti-Jang Group forces was to save the skin of former army chief.

Vowing to defend independence of media, he added that over 6,000 lawyers under the banner of Pakistan Justice Party were ready to fight the Geo’s case in the courts. He promised that the lawyer’s community would not allow anyone to ban the most favourite TV channel of the country.

Muhammad Hussain said nobody would succeed in banning Geo/Jang Group as its workers were ready to make every sacrifice to defend it. He said they would stage sit-ins outside the houses of all ‘actor anchors’ who even didn’t know the basics of journalism, if illegal actions against the Jang Group were not stopped.

Condemning the baseless allegations levelled by PTI Chairman Imran Khan against the Jang Group management, Hussain said it was the same media group which made him (Imran Khan) a hero in the country through an extensive coverage. “Shame on you Imran Khan, are we traitors?” he asked.

Qaiser Sharif warned that in case the vindictive acts did not come to an end, the peaceful protesters would take to the streets in every city of the country and reach the D-Chowk Islamabad to register their protest.

Terming the Geo/Jang Group as the heart of Pakistani journalism, Qaiser questioned why some hidden powers wanted to destroy it and for what purpose. He demanded that the government should apprehend the culprits who had burnt the vans and newspaper copies of Jang Group. He said the JI was against any illegal action against the Geo/Jang Group and would resist such moves.

Siraj Qadri said all contract and regular employees of the Geo/Jang Group stood united with the owners and ready to sacrifice every thing to save the media house which had remained a source of bread for their families. “We will bring out our families and children on the roads to protect Geo/Jang Group,” he added.

Badar Khan said Geo’s case should be dealt on merit and no one be given power to shut it down illegally. He said media was a national asset and they wanted journalists to practice their duties without any fear.

Abdullah Malik said all anti-democratic forces had united to derail democracy and democratic system. Describing the Geo/Jang Group as the voice of millions of Pakistanis in and outside the country, he said they would not allow anyone to ban their favourite TV channel.

He also said dictatorial actions like burning the vans and copies of Daily Jang and The News would not make the media house surrender. Later, the protesters also took out a rally from Davis Road to the Lahore Press Club.