Lahore: Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has said that he is very happy with the decision to acquit Jang Group editor-in-chief Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman from the NAB case here on Monday.
Speaking to The News, federal information ministers said this is justice. "I appreciate Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman's resolve to stand trial and face the case instead of running away from the judicial process abroad," he said.
Ch Fawad further said that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had a case which proceeded as per law and it was good to know that Mir-Shakil-ur-Rehman has been cleared in the process. He again appreciated the courage of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman to face trial instead of fleeing abroad like many others.
Senior PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen also welcomed the court's acquittal of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman. Talking to The News, Tareen congratulated Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman and said that he is happy that justice has been done in his case.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) also honored Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman for the acquittal of the NAB case. Senior PMLN leader and former Senator Pervez Rashid said that Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman faced NAB with courage and was finally proved right in a fake NAB case.
Speaking to The News, he said that the innocence of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman was proved before the court as well as the people of Pakistan, while the government's claims of neutral accountability were also exposed. He said that the entire case of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman was nothing more than an agenda of revenge and oppression.
“I am very happy with the honorable acquittal of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman,” he said and asked who would be responsible for the trauma caused to Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman and his family during the entire period? He said that if the owner of the country's largest media conglomerate has to face such suffering in the name of accountability, then it is absolutely right to question the accountability system running in the country. He said that the time was not far when the rulers would be questioned for this fake accountability.
Speaking to The News, PMLN Punjab Information Secretary Ajma Bukhari said that every effort was made to falsely implicate Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman in a baseless assets case, which he bravely faced and stood firm against the allegations. Stand by. He said that NAB failed to prove anything against Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman and eventually he was acquitted.
Information Secretary, PMLN Punjab said that Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman faced the NAB with courage and presented himself before the justice system of the country. He said that he was also sent to jail, but he did not bow down to the rulers.
Meanwhile, PMLN MPA Hina Parvez Butt moved a motion in the Punjab Assembly to express gratitude for the honorable acquittal of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman. "The honorable acquittal of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman is a victory of truth," he said, adding that no concrete evidence could be produced in the court by the NAB in this case. Hina said the NAB cases were based on political engineering. That's why he has to face defeat in any case.
Speaking to The News, Afaq Ahmed, head of the Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM-Haqiki), congratulated the Editor-in-Chief of Jung Group on his acquittal. He said that this decision is a welcome sign not only for an individual but for all media persons as freedom of press is of great importance in any country. He said that in the past also war, Jio had faced challenging situations and the acquittal of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman also came as a positive sign for media freedom.
Former chairman Evacuee Trust Property Board and senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Syed Asif Hashmi also lauded the acquittal of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman, terming it a victory of truth and bravery. Speaking to The News, Hashmi said that the malicious agenda of maligning the image of Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman has finally failed.
He said that both Mir Shakeel-ur-Rehman and his father Mir Khalil-ur-Rehman served Pakistan wholeheartedly and rendered remarkable services to the country as well as the fourth pillar of the state, the media.