After nearly eight months in NAB custody, the editor-in-chief owner of the Jang-Geo Group, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, has been granted bail by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The case in which he was detained goes back some 34 years and is related to the purchase of land in Lahore from a private individual who has now passed away. The matter, however, is not one entirely of land purchase, or the manner in which this was carried out. Then why was Mir Shakil detained? Why was he held for so long? Why was he detained during the inquiry stage of the NAB proceedings, even though he had appeared before NAB each time he was summoned?
Organisations which monitor media freedoms around the world, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and others, have noted that the detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was essentially a violation of press freedom, and was intended to silence voices of dissent. The refusal by Mir Shakil to submit to such gagging of the media resulted in his prolonged detention, despite the fact that he required hospitalization during a considerable period of his time in NAB custody.
The whole matter brings us back to the question of NAB’s transparency and its ability to carry out cases of investigation without bias and with good intent. In fact, it also throws light on to the kind of cases NAB feels it should pursue. The case of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman makes us question precisely what NAB is doing and for what reason. The question of press freedom is also one of the most important challenges faced by today’s Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan says that there is complete media freedom in Pakistan and no curbs on the freedom of expression. We are reminded of his words each time a journalist goes missing or when frivolous cases are filed against media personnel or indeed even when we think back to the days of the 2014 dharna and the sort of language employed against one media group. We hope that both NAB and the current government take a critical look at how they see journalism and dissenting opinion. Journalism is supposed to hold the powerful accountable and inform the public; we hope the bail granted to Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is a step forward in ensuring this media group’s freedom to practise free and fair journalism.https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/741887-bail-at-last
Bail at last: edit in The News, Nov 11, 2020
After nearly eight months in NAB custody, the editor-in-chief owner of the Jang-Geo Group, Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, has been granted bail by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. The case in which he was detained goes back some 34 years and is related to the purchase of land in Lahore from a private individual who has now passed away. The matter, however, is not one entirely of land purchase, or the manner in which this was carried out. Then why was Mir Shakil detained? Why was he held for so long? Why was he detained during the inquiry stage of the NAB proceedings, even though he had appeared before NAB each time he was summoned?
Organisations which monitor media freedoms around the world, including the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and others, have noted that the detention of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was essentially a violation of press freedom, and was intended to silence voices of dissent. The refusal by Mir Shakil to submit to such gagging of the media resulted in his prolonged detention, despite the fact that he required hospitalization during a considerable period of his time in NAB custody.
The whole matter brings us back to the question of NAB’s transparency and its ability to carry out cases of investigation without bias and with good intent. In fact, it also throws light on to the kind of cases NAB feels it should pursue. The case of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman makes us question precisely what NAB is doing and for what reason. The question of press freedom is also one of the most important challenges faced by today’s Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan says that there is complete media freedom in Pakistan and no curbs on the freedom of expression. We are reminded of his words each time a journalist goes missing or when frivolous cases are filed against media personnel or indeed even when we think back to the days of the 2014 dharna and the sort of language employed against one media group. We hope that both NAB and the current government take a critical look at how they see journalism and dissenting opinion. Journalism is supposed to hold the powerful accountable and inform the public; we hope the bail granted to Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman is a step forward in ensuring this media group’s freedom to practise free and fair journalism.https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/741887-bail-at-last
Published in Pak Media comment and Pakistan