The journalist Waheed Murad was produced before an Islamabad court by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Wednesday and was subsequently sent in his two -day physical custody under the laws of cyber crimes in the country to publish “intimidating content” online.
His family had previously presented a petition before the Superior Court of Islamabad (IHC) for recovery, saying that he was “disappeared by force by unknown people” of his home in the Federal Capital. The request, a copy of which is available with Dawn.comIt was presented by the mother-in-law of Murad, Abida Nawaz, through the lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha.
Abida said that the journalist was “disappeared by the force of his home in the G-8 sector, Islamabad around 2:05 am by unknown officials presumably belonging to intelligence agencies, and accompanied by people with black uniforms and two double cabin vehicles of the police.”
He described herself as an “ocular witness to forced disappearance [of Murad]And it was also mistreated by the kidnappers who also removed the phone. ”
The State, the Ministry of Defense, the Chief of Police of Islamabad and the officer of the police station of the Karachi Company were listed as respondents in the case.
The petition urged the IHC to direct the respondents to “track and produce immediately” Murad before the court.
He claimed that the court also orders respondents to “identify and investigate those responsible, directly or indirectly, to illegally kidnap and stop” the journalist, as well as disclose information on any case presented against him.
The petition also requested that the authorities provide family advice and access to Murad. In addition, he urged the IHC to lead the respondents to reveal any position against the journalist and where he was being maintained.
The petition stressed that Murad had raised his voice about the recent forced disappearance of the two brothers of the American journalist Ahmad Noorani.
“The pattern of his kidnapping was the same as in the past,” Mazari told AFP. “The kidnappers, their modus operandi and the way they broke into the house at night make it clear who they are.”
Later it was learned that a first information report (FIR) was presented against the journalist by the Cyber Crime de la FIA Crime Report Center under sections 9 (glorification of a crime), 10 (cyber-terrorism), 20 (malicious code) and 26a (punishment for false and false information) of the act of electronic crimes prevention (PECA), 2016.
He said that Murad was “found sharing highly intimidating content” on social media platforms through which he had “disseminated to know/propagated, false, false, misleading and misunderstood information that led to hatred against government officials.”
The FIR cited one of his recent publications on social networks about problems in Baluchistan. He also said he had shared a Facus Report of the journalist Ahmad Noorani, “in which the images of the members of the family of the chief army personnel were shared publicly along with highly intimidating comments, violating their privacy.”
URDU NewsThe exit for which Murad works, also reported on the incident. According URDU NewsMurad has also worked previously at News One and daily AusafJust as a news website runs Pakistan24.
The incident occurs a week after Noorani’s mother, Amina Bashir, presented an IHC supplication for the recovery of her brothers, saying that they were “disappeared by force” of her home from Islamabad at 1:05 am by “unknown officials who apparently belong” to the country’s intelligence agencies.
The arrest of the main journalist Farhan Malick also follows in two separate cases, one of which includes sections of the PCA law and accuses him of sharing “antistatal” content.
Hearing data
Murad appeared today at the Court of Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah. “I have not been tortured,” Murad said as he answered a question from a journalist.
He said he had asked the people who had arrived at his house last night to identify. “The police broke the door and entered the house,” Murad said, added that his mother -in -law was a cancer patient who had come from Canada to receive treatment, but was also beaten.
“They gave me to the FIA twenty minutes ago,” he said about the appearance of today’s court.
Chattha requested that Murad’s legal team be allowed to see the FIR against him. Mazari said the duo had presented a request for habeas corpus also for the journalist.
The judge asked about the moment of the journalist’s arrest, in response to which the representatives of the FIA present in the court said he was arrested last night. They said that Murad had made positions about Baluchistan and the forbidden group of the Baluchistan Liberation Army, added that his social media accounts had to be investigated and that his cell phone should also recover.
The FIA asked the court to grant a 10 -day physical return for Murad. In response, Mazari questioned why his preventive detention was needed since he was a journalist. He also asked if the FIA had sent a prior notice to the journalist.
“Journalism has become a crime in this country,” said Murad’s lawyer, Chattha during the hearing. “If no crime has been committed, the court can download and also make a judicial [remand]. Journalists are arrested so they can be harassed, ”he added.
Subsequently, the judge granted the physical return of two days of FIA Murad.
Police, the family have no “information”
Murad’s wife, Shinza Nawaz, said Dawn.com that the capital of the capital was telling them “nothing about who collected my husband.” She demanded that they be informed about the whereabouts of her husband and under the laws she was carried.
On his side, the Islamabad police expressed a lack of knowledge about the incident.
His spokesman, Taqi Jawwad, said Dawn.com The police did not have “information” about the night incident so far and would see it.
In a publication about X, Shinza said that more than 10 hours had passed since the disappearance of her husband, but there was also a first information report (FIR) or appeared before any court.
“What his family is currently happening is mental torture,” he lamented.
Abida told him Independent Urudu That Murad even slid his identity card under the door to show that he was not an Afghan citizen, but was taken by people who came “in a police vehicle and two beams.”
In a video statement, seen by Dawn.comAbida recalled that individuals identified themselves as police officers when they knocked on the door. He added that he asked if there were female law agents that accompanied them, to which they responded negatively.
Abida said the individuals threatened to break the door if he did not open it, after which he broke up and took Murad with them. The woman said she asked her mobile phone to be returned, highlighting that she had a heart problem.
“There were three vehicles outside and about 15-20 people. They showed no [arrest] Order, “said Abida.
Shinza said he was currently in Canada while his mother visited Pakistan to receive medical treatment.
“The Government collects whoever wants. Whoever wishes to break someone’s door and takes them in this country,” Shinza claimed while talking Dawn.com.
The journalist’s wife wondered why arrest orders were not shown if it was a police raid, adding that individuals had used masks.
“Several masked men came and knocked on the door, and asked my husband to open the door, saying it was Afghan,” Shinza said Independent Urudu. He added that his mother woke up from his dream as a result of the shock.
According URDU NewsMurad’s colleague, Soban Raja, witnessed the incident. In a video that performs rounds on social networks, Soban said he received an alert about the episode and arrived at Murad’s house when he was close.
Soban reiterated the same details counted by Abida on the three vehicles. He said he saw them take Murad, so he tried to record a video and pursue the cars, after which his motorcycle was beaten and was beaten by the alleged kidnappers.
“They removed both my mobile phones and my bag, as they broke my motorcycle, which is not starting now,” he said.
Rights activists, ‘alarmed’ media fraternity
As the Murad disappearance reports extended on social networks, the rights and fraternity activists of the media expressed concern about development.
Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission said in an X that was “alarmed by the reports of Murad’s kidnapping.
“The whereabouts of Murad is still unknown today. We demand that it be track and recover safely and quickly and its kidnappers brought to the reserve,” said the HCRC.
The main journalist Matiullah Jan, who months ago faced a widely criticized terrorism and narcotics, said the government “needs to immediately clarify its position on the incident.”
“We firmly condemn his kidnapping/arrest as a shameless violation of freedom of expression and fundamental rights,” he said in X.
Murad was “hard with those who try to tow an agenda for personal benefits at the expense of public interest,” Jan said in another publication in X.
“He believes more in reasoning and logic on different issues than anything else. For a period of time he has demonstrated his credentials and journalistic integrity without a doubt,” he added, praying for Murad’s security.
Mubashir Zaidi, another senior journalist, said he had met Murad “for many years.”
“He is a straight journalist and a gentleman. His kidnapping in Islamabad raises a serious concern,” he said in X, using the hashtags “Journalism is not a crime” and “frees Waheed Murad.”
The activist and social lawyer Jibran Nasir, who also faced a similar episode in June 2023, alleged in X: “The reason why after kidnapping, citizens remain missing is because the cells and centers of [intelligence] The agencies are considered beyond the jurisdiction of the police and the courts.
“Neither the police will dare to attack these cells/centers to recover a kidnapped nor do it [the] The Judiciary, despite the entire authority, has unity or courage to direct the police to do so, ”he added.
“Everyone is expected to play a fool and pretend that the kidnapped has been lost when what is really missing is the rule of law and judicial courage,” lamented the rights activist.
The journalist Azaz Syed also restructured the family’s version, saying that he met with Abida, who was “mistreated by people with black uniforms.”
Additional Umar Bacha reports.
