New Delhi: The arrest of Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, the Editor-in-Chief of one of Pakistan’s biggest media corporations, the Jang-Geo Group that runs Geo TV, has sparked outrage and protests across Pakistan. Rahman was arrested by the country’s National Accountability Bureau on 12 March for an alleged illegal purchase of land in Lahore in 1986.
In a statement, Geo TV denied the allegations against Rehman and said he had fulfilled all requirements for the purchase. Protests by journalists have raged since his arrest, and even a former senator put out a statement saying the courts should take suo motu action against Rahman’s arrest.
The matter was raised in British Parliament too, with some MPs calling the arrest “illegal” and “a serious concern”.
Several people took to Twitter to register their protest:
I condemn the arrest of @geonews_english Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman. Its a blatant attack on the freedom of press. @NationalParty_ stands with media in such challenging times.
— Hasil Bizenjo (@hasilbizenjo) March 15, 2020
https://twitter.com/rjimad/status/1238402452577300480
Some have also called Rahman’s arrest, which comes months after the Dawn bureau was attacked in Pakistan, a crackdown on press freedom.
Dawn’s office in Islamabad was attacked in December allegedly over the publication of a news report regarding the ethnicity of the London Bridge attacker who stabbed two persons to death last year.
Solidarity beats coronavirus fears
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan President Arif Alvi is currently in China on an invite from President Xi Jinping.
According to the state-run Radio Pakistan, the two-day official visit is Pakistan’s effort to “express solidarity with the Chinese leadership and people and appreciate their efforts to handle the coronavirus”.
The two countries are expected to sign several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to strengthen bilateral ties.
This is President Alvi’s first trip to China, and he is accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Planning Minister Asad Umar.
Drop in child sexual assault cases
A new study has found that “nearly eight minors were molested every day in Pakistan” in 2019, amounting to a 25 per cent drop since 2018.
According to Sahil, a child-rights NGO based in Islamabad, “In 2019, a total of 2,846 cases of child abuse were reported” from across Pakistan. These cases include abductions, missing children, sodomy, rape, attempted rape, gang sodomy and gang rape. Of these, 54 per cent of victims were girls, while 46 per cent were boys.
Earlier this year, the Pakistani Senate passed the Zainab Alert Bill in response to the alarming rates of child abuse. The law seeks to speed up the process of recovering missing children by 3 months.
Coronavirus disrupts social calendar
Pakistan has cancelled and/or postponed several events due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Pakistan Fashion Week, which was due to be held from 9-11 April in Karachi, has been postponed until further notice while the ‘Shan-e-Pakistan’, an event that brings Pakistani culture to another country, has been indefinitely delayed.
‘Shan-e-Pakistan‘ was due to be held in Sri Lanka this year from 21-23 March, with several Pakistani fashion and art designers set to display their work.
Last month, Sri Lanka held an event in Islamabad celebrating the Sri Lankan culture.