Senior journalist Matiullah Jan has reportedly been arrested in Islamabad following the recent PTI protests, it emerged on Thursday.
Earlier, prominent anchor and journalist Hamid Mir claimed that Matiullah Jan had been abducted from Islamabad. Later reports indicated that Jan was located at the Margalla Police Station in Islamabad.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday morning, Hamid Mir alleged that Matiullah Jan and another journalist, Saqib Bashir, were abducted by unidentified individuals on the night of November 26. While Saqib Bashir was released shortly after, Matiullah Jan remains missing.
According to Mir, Bashir plans to file a petition in the Islamabad High Court regarding the incident. Another journalist, Roohan Ahmad, reported that Jan was abducted outside PIMS Hospital.
Jan recently shared a video on social media showing a Rangers official being struck by a vehicle in Islamabad. He alleged that the vehicle was driven by a Rangers officer, though other Rangers personnel claimed the incident involved a vehicle driven by protesters. Jan also accused PIMS officials of facing pressure to downplay casualties from the operation against PTI protesters.
The incident has sparked widespread concern among journalists and human rights activists. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) demanded Jan’s “immediate and unconditional release,” condemning his arrest and describing it as an “authoritarian tactic to silence journalists.” The HRCP emphasized that such measures must stop immediately.
