Rights Groups Alarmed by Arrest of Pakistani Journalist Matiullah Jan

Human rights and press freedom groups on Thursday expressed concern after Pakistani journalist Matiullah Jan's family said he was "abducted," and then a judge placed him in police custody for a terrorism and narcotics case that critics call "bogus."

"Matiullah Jan has been abducted from the parking of PIMS tonight at around 11 by unmarked abductors in an unmarked vehicle alongside Saqib Bashir (who was let go five minutes later)," Jan's son, Abdul Razzaq, said on the journalist's X account, referring to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.

"This follows his courageous coverage of the protests in Islamabad. I demand that my father be let go immediately and his family immediately be informed of his whereabouts," added the son, who later posted a video on social media.

Journalist Asad Toor told the Pakistani newspaper Dawn that he was able to see Jan at the Margalla police station and that "he was fine." When Toor demanded to see the booking document, the first information report (FIR) was about protests by the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and did not name Jan.

According to Dawn:

It later emerged that the anchor had been booked in a terrorism case, which also included charges of possessing narcotics. The FIR, shared by Toor and also independently verified by Dawn.com, was filed by the Margalla police on the complaint of Superintendent of Police Asif Ali.

Jan was later presented in the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court where Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra presided over a request by the police to grant the journalist's 30-day physical remand. However, the judge only granted his physical remand for two days.

The newspaper also noted that Jan's suggestion that his case is based on his work: "This is highly irresponsible. The integrity of institutions is being destroyed. The reason [for the arrest] is as you know that I was [reporting] on the dead bodies."

Pakistani authorities are accused of trying to cover up the deaths of PTI protesters who descended on Islamabad this week demanding fair elections and the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has has been behind bars for over a year due to charges that he calls politically motivated.

"All records of dead and injured have been confiscated by authorities," a doctor who was working at an Islamabad hospital Tuesday night told The Guardian. "We are not allowed to talk. Senior government officials are visiting the hospital to hide the records."

Despite reports of "shoot-at-sight" orders for troops responding to the protests, Islamabad's police chief, Ali Rizvi, denied that live ammunition was used and Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called on PTI to provide proof of the firing of live ammunition.

Amnesty International, which had decried the shoot-on-site order and then demanded an urgent and transparent investigation into the deaths and injuries of protesters, also sounded the alarm about Jan's arrest.

"The arbitrary detention of journalist Matiullah Jan in Islamabad on trumped up charges after he was abducted in the late hours of November 27 is an affront on the right to freedom of expression and media freedom," Amnesty's South Asia office said on social media. "The Pakistani authorities must immediately release Mattiullah and drop the politically motivated charges against him. The government should stop targeting journalists for simply doing their job."

The Committee to Protect Journalists' Asia office similarly said on social media that "CPJ expresses grave alarm over reports of the abduction of journalist Matiullah Jan (@Matiullahjan919) in the capital Islamabad following his coverage of protests by supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Authorities must ensure Jan's safety and immediate release."

"Journalist Saqib Bashir (@saqibbashir156), who was abducted alongside Jan, has since been released. We call for a swift and impartial investigation into the incident and accountability for all perpetrators," CPJ added, pointing out that "complete impunity persists for Jan's previous abduction in 2020," when Khan was still in office.

According to Dawn, the Digital Media Alliance of Pakistan, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, the PTI, and various other reporters, rights advocates, and political leaders slammed Jan's arrest.

Reutershighlighted Thursday that "Jan is known as a critic of the military's heavy influence in Pakistani politics."

The news agency also shared comments from Jan's lawyer, Imaan Mazari, who said of the case: "It is no less than a joke... There is not an iota of truth in these charges."