Committee to Protect Journalists, HRCP demand journalist Matiullah Jan’s release after reported arrest

Several journalists and rights activists voiced their concerns on Thursday after senior journalist Matiullah Jan was reportedly arrested in a case pertaining to the PTI’s recent Islamabad protest.

Senior anchor and Dawn columnist Arifa Noor said on social media platform X that she spoke with journalist Asad Toor, according to whom Jan had been booked in a case against top PTI leadership and others for their November 24 rally.

While Noor had said Jan was being detained at Islamabad’s Margalla Police Station, in a later post, human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir said she visited the police station but the journalist was “missing”.

“After pleading with police at Margalla Police Station to allow us access to our client Matiullah Jan, we were finally allowed in,” Imaan said on X.

The lawyer said she checked the lock-up herself and the “people locked up inside confirmed to me that right before we came, the police took Matiullah Jan. He is missing”.

A post on Jan’s X account at 5:09am, seemingly made by his son, read: “Matiullah Jan has been abducted from the parking of Pims tonight at around 11pm by unmarked abductors in an unmarked vehicle.”

Referring to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), the post had also said that journalist Saqib Bashir was also allegedly abducted but was “let go five minutes later”.

“This follows [Jan’s] courageous coverage of the protests in Islamabad,” the post highlighted.

“I demand that my father be let go immediately and his family immediately be informed of his whereabouts.”

In a video statement posted on Jan’s account, his son Abdul Razzaq repeated the details, saying those who allegedly “picked up” the anchor did not introduce themselves.

“[Saqib] Bashir uncle was told ‘this is not your issue’ and he was released,” Razzaq said. He highlighted that the “issue” with his father was his devotion to report on the ongoing developments even at 3am to “inform the public”.

“The unknown individuals, unknown vehicles — the real heirs to Pakistan — picked him up on the basis of this issue,” the son alleged. “People like you are in every country but they do not eat their own [people]. What need do we have of enemies then?”

“[…] You are implementing childish tactics from the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)’s playbook early in the morning.”

CPJ, HRCP demand release

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also expressed grave alarm over “reports of the abduction” of Jan, noting it followed “his coverage of protests by supporters of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan”.

“Authorities must ensure Jan’s safety and immediate release,” the CJP asserted in a post on X.

“We call for a swift and impartial investigation into the incident and accountability for all perpetrators.”

The journalists’ body went on to confirm that Bashir had been released.

Referring to a similar case of the senior journalist, the CPJ said “complete impunity persists for Jan’s previous abduction in 2020”.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan demanded Jan’s “immediate and unconditional release”, noting he had “reportedly been arrested following his coverage of the recent protests in Islamabad”.

“This authoritarian tactic to silence journalists must cease,” the HRCP asserted.

Former human rights minister Shireen Mazari commented the “horror continues”.

Anchor Munizae Jahangir said Jan was “reporting from hospitals on those injured and killed from bullet wounds at PTI protest and [it] seems that’s why he has been arrested for his journalistic work”.

Digital rights activist Usama Khilji claimed Jan had been “forcibly disappeared for investigating the truth behind the killing of civilians in Islamabad at the PTI protest”.

“Journalism is not a crime,” he stated, urging Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to “release” him immediately.

In another post, Khilji wondered: “How can a journalist be charged for a protest that he is reporting on?”

“This is an absolutely bogus case in totality,” the activist added.

The PTI, whose protest Jan was reportedly covering, said the journalist’s disappearance raised “serious concerns about press freedom and the safety of journalists”, calling it “suppression of information”.

In another post, the party claimed that another journalist, Shakir Mehmood Awan, had also been abducted.

“The establishment and the PML-N government must end the abhorrent practice of abducting individuals who dare to voice dissent against their propaganda,” it said.

Veteran journalist Hamid Mir also said on X that Awan was “missing since last many hours”. Dawn.com is yet to verify the claims regarding Awan’s disappearance.