Senior journalist Matiullah Jan was remanded for two days in police custody on Thursday in a terrorism and narcotics case that was widely derided as being “bogus” on “trumped up charges” amid an outcry for his release.
He was earlier booked in a terrorism and narcotics case today amid concerns raised by rights bodies over his reported arrest from Islamabad last night. Following the claim of Jan’s son that his father was “abducted” from Islamabad last night by “unknown individuals”, it emerged that the journalist was booked in a first information report (FIR) in the early hours of today
Journalist Asad Toor confirmed to Dawn.com that he met with Jan in the morning but the journalist was then taken elsewhere. “He was fine,” Toor said about Jan’s condition.
“When I reached Margalla police station early in the morning, no one was there so I was able to meet him once,” Toor said.
“They took him from the Margalla police station and disappeared him somewhere. His whereabouts are unknown now and we do not know in which court they will produce him,” the journalist added.
Upon insisting that the police show an FIR in which Jan was arrested, Toor said, a policeman showed him an FIR pertaining to the PTI protest, which did not name Jan.
However, 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.
He vowed to continue his work as he was brought to court by the police.
Concerning his treatment, he said: “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.”
Earlier, senior anchor and Dawn columnist Arifa Noor said on social media platform X that she spoke with 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”, echoing what Toor told Dawn.com.
“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”.
The FIR
The FIR claimed that Jan was found possessing 246 grams of narcotic methamphetamine (crystal meth) when his vehicle was stopped at E-9 in the federal capital.
The case was registered at 3:20am, nearly an hour after the alleged incident took place.
The provision invoked from the Control of Narcotic Substances Act (CNSA) 1997 is Section 9(2)4, which specifies the punishment for possessing or trafficking “more than 100g and up to 500g” of psychotropic substance.
The FIR also invoked Sections 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 as well as Sections 186 (obstructing public servant), 279 (Rash driving or riding on a public way), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 382 (theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint), 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs50) and 506ii (threat to cause death or grievous hurt) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
According to the FIR, a white Toyota Yaris car was rapidly moving towards Islamabad’s F-10, when it was signalled to stop at a checkpost at E-9. However, the driver, who the FIR said later identified himself as Jan, “rammed the vehicle with the intention to hit the workers, injuring Constable Mudassir.
The FIR added that when the vehicle managed to stop due to a barrier, the driver stepped out of the car and “assaulted” the constable, then snatched his SMG rifle and pointed it back at the cop. When the police recovered the rifle, the complaint said, the driver was inquired about his identity, which he revealed as Matiullah Jan.
Upon a cursory look, Jan was found under the influence of a narcotic, the FIR alleged. It further claimed that a check of Jan’s car was conducted, during which a bag containing “white ice” (crystal meth) was found from under the driver’s seat.
The substance was then weighed on an electronic scale and a sample of 1g was taken from the 246g for chemical examination, it added. The FIR stated that Jan’s car was taken into police custody.
Public outcry demanding Jan’s release
Earlier today, rights bodies and the journalism fraternity voiced their concerns on Jan’s arrest, following his son’s allegation that the anchor was abducted from Islamabad last night.
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.”
Human rights organisation Amnesty International said in a post on X that Jan’s “arbitrary detention” on “trumped up charges” was “an affront on the right to freedom of expression and media freedom”.
It said the authorities must immediately release him and drop the “politically motivated charges” against him. “The government should stop targeting journalists for simply doing their job.”
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 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.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) expressed grave concern over Jan’s alleged abduction and subsequent arrest.
In a statement issued today, PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari condemned the incident, urging Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to intervene and secure Jan’s immediate release.
“The PFUJ demands a swift and impartial investigation into the incident, ensuring accountability for all perpetrators. This incident raises concerns, given Jan’s previous abduction in 2020 remains unpunished.”
The PFUJ said that such actions of the government could not be tolerated and demanded the government end the illegal and undemocratic practice of targeting journalists for merely performing their professional duties, warning of countrywide protests if Jan was not released.
The Digital Media Alliance of Pakistan also condemned the alleged abduction.
“I strongly condemn this blatant infringement on Matiullah Jan’s rights and freedoms. We demand his immediate and unconditional release,” the statement quoted the alliance’s president as saying.
“The arbitrary detention of journalists is a grave threat to press freedom and the rule of law. We urge the authorities to take swift and decisive action to ensure Matiullah Jan’s safety and to investigate this incident.”
The statement demanded that the freedom of the press and the safety of journalists must be upheld and safeguarded, adding that the organisation would continue to advocate for Jan’s release and the protection of journalists’ rights in Pakistan.
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”.
Commenting on the case, rights lawyer Jibran Nasir said the “main complaint against Matiullah Jan was [of] him reporting counter versions and raising questions about the number of dead and injured as a result of operation on PTI protest”.
He pointed out that the journalist had not been registered in “any case for spreading misinformation or creating anarchy but booked in a terrorism and narcotics case”, saying it showed the “desperation of the state to silence him and his questions”.
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.
Veteran politician MNA Sardar Akhtar Mengal strongly condemned the case against Jan, calling the accusations “false and baseless”.
“The current state of affairs leaves no space for honest journalism or meaningful politics which is a grave injustice to society. Silencing voices of truth [is a] crime against democracy,” he lamented.
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.
Additional reporting by Umar Bacha and Imtiaz Ali.
