Pakistani journalist probing PTI 'protest deaths' charged with terrorism

Tariq Butt / Reuters

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). 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.'

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 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. 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.'