Pakistani journalist Matiullah Jan was arrested on Thursday by Islamabad police following an alleged altercation at a security checkpoint in the capital.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday when Matiullah Jan, while driving, was reportedly ordered to stop at an E-9 checkpoint by police officers, according to Express News.
As per the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the police, Jan’s vehicle did not stop and collided with a constable on duty, injuring him. Following the collision, Jan allegedly seized the officer’s government-issued firearm and threatened to kill him. Authorities have stated that the journalist was reportedly “under the influence” at the time.
Matiullah Jan was arrested and taken to Margalla Police Station, where a case has been registered against him. Legal proceedings are ongoing. He is scheduled to be presented before an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad later today.
However, human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir claimed that Jan was “missing.”
“After pleading with the police at Margalla Police Station to allow us access to our client, Matiullah Jan, we were finally permitted inside,” she wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “The people locked inside confirmed that right before we arrived, the police took Matiullah Jan. He is missing.”
Jan’s son, Abdul Razzaq, claimed in a post on X that his father had been abducted from the parking lot of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad around 11 p.m. by unmarked abductors in an unmarked vehicle. He also stated that journalist Saqib Bashir, who was with Jan, was briefly abducted before being released.
“Matiullah Jan has been abducted from the parking of PIMS tonight at around 11 p.m. by unmarked abductors in an unmarked vehicle,” the post read. “This follows his courageous coverage of the protests in Islamabad.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed concern over the alleged abduction and called for Jan’s safety and release. “Authorities must ensure Jan’s safety and immediate release,” CPJ said in a statement, also calling for a swift and impartial investigation. The CPJ also referenced the impunity surrounding Jan’s earlier abduction in 2020.
Similarly, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) demanded Jan’s immediate release, condemning the alleged arrest as part of an “authoritarian tactic to silence journalists.” “This authoritarian tactic to silence journalists must cease,” the HRCP declared.
