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Pakistani journalist probing Imran Khan protest casualties charged with terrorism, says lawyer.
A senior Pakistani journalist investigating claims of casualties in a protest march demanding the release of jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan was picked up off the street on Wednesday night and charged with terrorism, according to a colleague and his lawyer.
On Thursday, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad approved a two-day physical remand of senior journalist Matiullah Jan, who was arrested by police on a host of serious charges a few hours earlier.
After his arrest, he was shifted to Margalla Police Station. He was booked under various sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), Control of Narcotic Substances Act and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
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Hours before being picked up, he had done a TV show where he read from what he said were hospital records contradicting the government’s denial that live ammunition had been used when security forces dispersed the protest, or that any protesters had been killed.
Jan’s colleague Saqib Bashir said on Thursday that they had both been picked up by men wearing black uniforms from the car park of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad.
They were blindfolded and bundled into a car, he said, adding: “We were collecting data on the casualties.” Bashir was dropped off in a street three hours later.
Jan’s son Abd-u-Razaq confirmed the account in a video statement, demanding authorities release his father.
His lawyer Imaan Mazari, however, said he had been charged with terrorism, drug peddling and attacking police. “It is no less than a joke,” she said. “There is not an iota of truth in these charges.”
Bashir said Jan’s family had been given access to him at a police lock-up on Thursday morning.
Neither Islamabad police nor the Information Ministry responded to a request for a comment.
Jan had also cast doubt on official assertions that some security personnel had died after being run over by a vehicle in the protesters’ convoy.
Police claimed that narcotics were also recovered from his car when he was taken into custody. The first information report (FIR) said that Jan was arrested at the E-9 checkpoint in the federal capital.
He was charged with rash driving or riding on a public way, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty, theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint in order to the committing of the theft, mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs50,000, criminal intimidation, terrorism-related section and possession of narcotics.
As per the contents of the FIR, when police signaled Jan’s vehicle to stop at a checkpoint late last night, instead of complying with the order, it was alleged, Jan drove his car towards the officers, injuring Constable Mudassir, who was on duty at the time.
The FIR also claimed that the accused forcibly took official weaponry from the police and issued threats to the officers. It accused the journalist of being under the influence of drugs at the time of his arrest, with the substance “ice” having been recovered from his vehicle.
Earlier, in a post on X, his family said that Jan had been “abducted” from the parking lot of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) at around 11pm by “unmarked abductors in an unmarked vehicle.” “I demand that my father be let go immediately and his family immediately be informed of his whereabouts,” his son added.
Rights bodies and the journalism fraternity voiced their concerns on Jan’s arrest. The Committee to Protect Journalists CPJ 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 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.
Thousands of supporters of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehik-e-Insaf (PTI) party had over the weekend stormed Islamabad. The government said they had killed four security officers. The PTI said hundreds of protesters had been shot, and between eight and 40 killed.
The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed “grave alarm” over Jan’s “abduction” and demanded his immediate release.
Jan had also been abducted for around 12 hours during Khan’s rule in 2020.