Sami Abraham has been kidnapped, according to both his family and the independent BOL television station in Karachi, where he works.
There are concerns for the safety of a prominent Pakistani television journalist who is known for publicly endorsing former prime minister Imran Khan. He has been gone for two days.
Sami Abraham was kidnapped, according to his family and the independent BOL television station in Karachi, where he works.
After going missing for several hours, Abraham's disappearance was initially reported in a police tweet late on Wednesday. The following day, BOL TV reported that unnamed men had abducted Abraham.
Abraham has long been an outspoken opponent of Pakistan's fierce military, which has ruled the nation directly for about half of its 75-year history, and of the administration of Khan's successor, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
In a police report, Ali Raza, Abraham's brother, said that eight individuals in four vehicles stopped his brother's car as it was returning from the capital city of Islamabad and kidnapped him. He did not hurt his driver.
Two weeks had passed when Imran Riaz Khan, another pro-Khan journalist, vanished before Abraham. The police and intelligence services of Pakistan have denied holding him.
The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed its "deeply disturbed" about the abduction of the well-known journalists in a statement late on Thursday.
The coordinator of the Asia program for the media watchdog, Beh Lih Yi, stated the authorities "must respect the rule of law and either present Abraham and Khan in court or immediately release them."
Independent journalists and the media community in Pakistan have also called for the prosecution of those responsible for the murder of Arshad Sharif, a well-known Pakistani TV host who was shot dead in Kenya in October.
The 49-year-old journalist was in exile since he left the country to avoid being arrested after being charged with sedition for remarks he made on his show that were deemed disrespectful to the military.
According to reports, police in Nairobi started shooting at his car. Kenyan authorities described the murder as "a case of mistaken identity" and expressed sadness for the killing.
In this month, two journalists have vanished after Imran Khan's followers violently protested. Angered by the former prime minister's arrest outside an Islamabad courtroom, they engaged in days-long battles with police around the country, destroying government buildings and military facilities.
Imran Khan was released two days later after the Supreme Court ruled that his arrest was unconstitutional, but the violence didn't stop until then.
Since the violent demonstrations, the government has cracked down on Imran Khan's followers, arresting close to 5,000 individuals and preparing to hold trials in secret military courts away from the eyes of the public.
Human rights organizations have denounced the secrecy surrounding these processes and highlighted concern over the dearth of impartial trials.
At least 33 people accused of targeting military installations, according to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, have been turned over to the army for military proceedings.
Imran Khan and his wife were added to a no-fly list on Friday. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, many of whose members have recently left due to arrests and prosecutions following the protests, was also believed to be under consideration for a ban by the government. (AlJazeera)
