Senior Pakistani journalist Matiullah Jan ‘arrested’; family claims 'abducted'

Senior journalist Matiullah Jan was detained by Islamabad Police, prompting condemnation from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Updated on: Nov 28, 2024, 14:54:12 IST

By HT News Desk | Written by Chandreyi Chatterjee

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Senior journalist and reporter Matiullah Jan was reportedly arrested by Islamabad Police on Thursday after information of filing a case against him emerged, Geo News reported.

Matiullah Jan was shifted to Margalla Police Station after his arrest by the police the report added.

The arrest of the senior journalist was denounced by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an American non-governmental organisation (NGO).

Also read: Journalist, also a part-time Rapido driver, killed by speeding BMW in Chennai, thrown 100 metres on impact: Report

Around 11pm, Matiullah Jan's family claimed in a post on X that “unmarked abductors in an unmarked vehicle” had “abducted” him from the PIMS parking lot.

"I demand that my father be let go immediately and his family immediately be informed of his whereabouts," his son said.

Earlier Disappearance

Matiullah Jan had disappeared in Islamabad earlier in 2020 and came home over 12 hours later.

He praised the judges, legislators, and journalists both domestically and abroad for their “quick response” that allowed him to return safely.

On X, senior anchor and Dawn writer Arifa Noor said she had a conversation with journalist Asad Toor, who claimed that Jan had been charged with a crime against key PTI officials and others for their rally on November 24.

Also read: Islamabad violence: 6 killed in clashes amid protests for Imran Khan's release

Human rights attorney Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir said in a subsequent tweet that she visited the police station but found the journalist “missing”, despite Noor's statement that Matiullah Jan was being held at Islamabad's Margalla Police Station.

Imaan posted on X, "We were finally granted access to our client Matiullah Jan after begging the police at Margalla Police Station."

According to the lawyer, she personally inspected the lock-up, and the "people locked up inside confirmed to me that the police took Matiullah Jan right before we came." He's not there.

The "reports of the abduction" of Jan, which came after "his coverage of protests by supporters of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan," also caused the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) to express great anxiety.

Matiullah Jan was “forcibly disappeared for investigating the truth behind the killing of civilians in Islamabad at the PTI protest,” according to digital rights activist Usama Khilji.

He called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to “release” him right now, saying that journalism is not a crime.

Also read: Pakistan tightens security in Islamabad ahead of Imran Khan rally

AP |

"How can a journalist be charged for a protest that he is reporting on?" he wrote in another post.

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