Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman’s arrest in Pakistan among Time Magazine's list of 10 ‘Most Urgent’ threats to press freedom

"To silence criticism of pandemic preparedness, government targets broadcast outlet and its CEO," Time magazine described the incident.

"The CEO, owner and editor-in-chief of Jang Media Group, Mir Shakil-ur-Rehman, was arrested March 12 over a case involving allegations that he illegally acquired land in 1986," the magazine described the incident.

"The next day, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority ordered cable distributors throughout the country to stop transmitting Geo TV, which is owned by Jang Media Group and is the nation’s largest TV news channel, or move its broadcasts to a higher, harder-to-find channel. Despite no charges filed, Shakil-ur-Rehman was denied bail on April 7. The channel has criticized the government’s coronavirus preparations," it said.

The other journalists on the list are:

1. Azimjon Askarov (Kyrgyzstan), Abdulkhaleq Amran, Akram al-Waleedi, Hareth Hameed and Tawfiq al-Mansouri (Yemen), 3. Mahmoud al-Jaziri (Bahrain), 4. Solafa Magdy (Egypt), 5. Darvinson Rojas (Venezuela), 6. Truong Duy Nhat (Vietnam), 7. Elena Milashina (Russia), 8. Yayesew Shimelis (Ethiopia), 9. Jamal Khashoggi (Saudi Arabia).

Demanding release of Jang Geo Editor-in-Chief Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman (MSR), the International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, media executives and journalists for press freedom, has written a letter to Pakistan PM Imran Khan.

The body even voiced its concern over the detention of Rahman.

"The handling of Mr Rahman’s case by the NAB is particularly alarming, as it has come at a time when independent media in Pakistan is under severe political and financial pressure," the IPI said in the letter as quoted by The News International.

Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman was arrested on Mar 12 by the  National Accountability Bureau  (NAB) in Pakistan in a case concerning a property transaction that dates back 34 years to 1986.

In its letter, as quoted by The News International, IPI said: "Your excellency, when you became Prime Minister in August 2018, there was a glimmer of hope that independent media would be able to flourish in the country."

"The information minister announced soon after that the government had given the state-run media complete editorial control over content," read the letter.