Senior journalist and reporter Matiullah Jan was arrested by Islamabad police on Thursday after information about the charges came out, Geo News reported.
Matiullah Jan was arrested by the police and transferred to Margala police station, the report added.
The senior journalist’s arrest was condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an American non-governmental organization (NGO).
Also read: Journalist, who was also a part-time Rapido driver, dies after being hit by speeding BMW in Chennai, thrown 100 meters on impact: Report
At around 11pm, Matiullah Jan’s family claimed in a post on X that “kidnappers in an unmarked vehicle” had “kidnapped” him from the PIMS parking lot.
“I demand that my father be released immediately and that his family be immediately informed of his whereabouts,” the son said.
previous disappearance
Matiullah Jan went missing in Islamabad in early 2020 and returned home more than 12 hours later.
He praised the “quick response” of judges, parliamentarians, and journalists at home and abroad, which made it possible for him to return home safely.
On X, senior anchor and Dawn writer Arifa Noor said she had a conversation with journalist Asad Tour, who accused Jang of charges against key PTI leaders at the Nov. 24 rally. claimed to have been done.
Also read: Islamabad violence: 6 killed in clashes during protests demanding Imran Khan’s release
Human rights lawyer Iman Zainab Mazari Hajir later tweeted that despite Noor’s statement that Matiullah Jan was being held at Islamabad’s Margalla police station, journalists had not visited the police station. He said he was found “missing.”
“After pleading with the police at Margala Police Station, I was finally allowed to meet my client Matiullah Jan,” Iman wrote in a post on X.
According to the lawyer, she personally inspected the scene of the confinement and “those who were locked inside confirmed to me that the police had taken Matiullah Jan away just before we arrived.” he’s not there
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also expressed great concern over the “abduction report” of Mr. Jian, which came out after “covering protests by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan.”
According to digital rights activist Osama Khilji, Matiullah Jan was “enforced to disappear while investigating the truth behind the killing of civilians during the PTI protests in Islamabad.”
He called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to “release” him now, saying journalism is not a crime.
Also read: Pakistan tightens security in Islamabad ahead of Imran Khan rally
AP |
“How can a journalist be prosecuted for a protest he is covering?” he wrote in another post.
