Daily Times

Mir Shakil ur Rehman–known as MSR–took over the charge of “Daily Jang” after the sad demise of his legendry father, Mir Khalil ur Reman. He took the newspaper to the heights of excellence as a modern-day media empire. “Daily The NEWS” was his first landmark venture and achievement. Since the very start of this venture, “The NEWS” has been among the top English dailies of Pakistan. Before launching “The NEWS,” he had made the weekly “The MAG” an international standard periodical. Mir is believed to be a pioneer and trendsetter of most modern standards of journalism in print as well as electronic media. During his youth, he used to reach office dressed in white cotton attire where his father had been dispatching him to the press section for practical training. After a daylong work with the pressmen and technicians, by nighttime, his white attire used to have countless stains. Afterwards, he was asked to be on the news desk to learn from the seniors. He was being prepared to glorify the biggest media empire of Pakistan. The veteran always had confidence in the potentials and capabilities of young journalists. In the 90s, when the Central Asian States got independence, MSR appointed Asif Saleem Mitha as the Group Bureau Chief for the Central Asian States. This was a great success for a young journalist. Similarly, when MSR launched Geo television channel, he decided to take on young journalists. The seniors groomed the young journalists and Geo took off successfully. Undoubtedly, MSR has made his media group an untouched empire with new trends.

It has been months since his arrest. The EU has raised serious concerns over the unjustified arrest of MSR, Chief Editor and Chief Executive of one of Pakistan’s biggest media groups. The IK government is targeting journalists who are critics of his shallow deliverance. MSR was arrested on accusations of unlawfully buying a property in the 1980s. The NAB alleges that MSR illegally leased government land in 1986 and managed to have ownership rights transferred to him in 2016 when ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was at the helm. Nawaz Sharif was Chief Minister of Punjab in the 1980s. The NAB didn’t find anything against Mir so the authorities opened a 34-year-old fake land purchase case. In the past, offices of Daily Jang and Geo have been attacked and set ablaze many times. Human rights activists said that MSR’s arrest has vindicated their claim but Imran Khan’s government is trying to muzzle freedom of speech and silence critical voices in the country. Mir’s arrest is aimed at hurting the largest media group in Pakistan. The government is cracking down on media to prevent it from giving space to the opposition. It has even unjustly imposed restrictions on social media.

The struggle to achieve freedom of media will continue until the last truthful voice

About Mir’s arrest, international condemnation continues. The EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, Virginie Battu-Henriksson, urged Pakistani authorities to ensure a fair trial for Mir. The EU is firmly committed to supporting progress on human rights, democracy and the implementation of international conventions in Pakistan. These commitments also form a fundamental condition of the EU granted unilaterally to Pakistan. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also slammed Mir Shakil’s unjustified arrest.

“It’s been long since Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman arrested on totally absurd and spurious grounds. Let’s not be fooled. His arrest has absolutely no legal basis,” RSF’s Asia-Pacific Director, Daniel, viewed. Regarding the media, RSF’s recently released World Press Freedom Index for 2020 ranked Pakistan 145th out of 180 countries; three places lower than last year. In London, in front of Pakistan High Commission, Baseem Baig (Senior Official of Jang Group) and others are seen protesting and condemning the unlawful and unjustified arrest of MSR.

Civil society activists said that the space for dissent and independent journalism had considerably reduced in Pakistan since Imran Khan came to power in 2018. The NAB has been used as a hitman to harass Mir Shakeel. Michael Kugelman, a South Asian expert at the Washington-based, Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, believed that Shakil’s case had all the makings of a politicised arrest and nothing else.

“This is a senior figure with a media outlet that hasn’t gotten along well with the state, and who was arrested on questionable charges tied to circumstances that go back more than three decades. While one wouldn’t want to pass definitive judgment and speculate, one can say that the optics of it all are quite dreadful,” Kugelman uttered.

Shakil’s arrest is a part of Khan’s confused stance against media that dares to criticise his government or give coverage to the opposition. Mir’s Geo tv channel has been taken off the air several times in the past years. The arrest is because of his media group not accepting to censor. A senior figure with one of the country’s top media outlets finds himself in jail on questionable charges, at the moment when Pakistan is in deep crises.

The political, civil society and journalist organisations demand the release of the Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group within no time. On fake allegations, the arrest of MSR is an attack on the freedom of media and a step to silence the truthful voices. The present government of the PTI is not following the democratic norms but its dictatorial policy wants to mute every voice raised for fundamental human rights and truth. The IK government first arrested its political opponents but has got nothing and now started targeting the media by arresting journalists like MSR, who brought the truth before the people. The unjustified arrest of MSR is a part of the government efforts to control the media. The IK government has pressurised MSR to make compromises but he refused to do so. Ruthlessly the government didn’t allow MSR to see his ailing brother Mir Javed ur Rehman who eventually breathed his last without meeting MSR. What misery has it been?

The protest of journalists at international forums will continue till the release and achievement of freedom of the press in Pakistan. The struggle to achieve freedom of media will continue until the last truthful voice. With the arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, a message was conveyed to the entire Pakistani media that either get dictation or get ready for the jail. The journalist organisations along with political, civil society and human rights activists will continue their struggle for achieving the freedom of media and release of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman across the borders. The sin of Geo and Jang Group is to expose the scandals of the PTI government, especially the BRT Peshawar project. Mir Shakil always supported the journalists to bring the truth before the masses.

The freedom of expression could not be achieved unless the implementation of the Constitution of Pakistan in letter and spirit as the Constitution guarantees protection of freedom of expression. MSR is a very strong voice of truth and voiceless. The family of MSR had sacrificed for Pakistan. Imran Khan government had arrested MSR in the same way as he arrested his political opponents.

The struggle of Geo and Jang Group for the freedom of media and all the political workers is more than anyone else. Journalists all over the country are demanding the release of Editor-in-Chief of Geo and Jang Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. Political parties that believe in democracy, are with the workers of the Geo and Jang in their struggle. The PTI government had made a serious mistake by attacking the already-fragile independence of media. Now it should worry about the consequences. The release of MSR from the custody of the NAB in a 34-year-old concocted case is still awaited. NAB is violating the Constitution and the law by keeping MSR in detention without registering any reference. The government because of its attempt on the Jang-Geo Group has raised the alarm of its designs to gag the media in the country and deny the public their right to truth and information.

If not opposed, this mala fide intention would adversely affect the whole of the media industry. Remembering the legacy of Jang-Geo Group founder, Mir Khalil- ur- Rahman, MSR is a bold and courageous journalist like his father and would never compromise on his principles at all. Had he compromised, he would have been walking free by now. Instead of relieving the public during this difficult time, Imran Khan remained more interested in satisfying its ego by suppressing the voices it didn’t like. MSR asked the government to release the advertisements payments it owed to different media houses. Due to these curbs, the media industry workers are losing jobs and institutions are shutting down. Media workers are facing delays and lapses in salaries and other funds. Their future is at stake. The government may not sustain the repercussions of its revengeful acts. The government is to take strict measures against those responsible for wheat, sugar and fuel crisis in the country, not those who raise truthful voices against these mafias. The government did not budge an inch in its nefarious design of targeting the media houses and curbing the fourth pillar of the State. The PTI government is using various means to crush the media for playing the role of opposition. Stifling bold media voices will not be possible any longer. The country’s major media group is being punished for highlighting the truth. MSR is, undoubtedly, the strongest voice of the voiceless.

The writer is a book ambassador, columnist, political analyst and author of several books based in the UK