ISLAMABAD: Imran Riaz Khan, a Pakistani political analyst and journalist, was detained about two weeks ago, but neither his family nor the police appear to be aware of his whereabouts.
In a recent development, the nation’s top spy agencies, the Military Intelligence (MI) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), made it clear that Imran Riaz was not in their custody. This revelation was made by Kamran Adil, Deputy Inspector General (Investigation) of the Lahore Police, who testified before the high court today.
The ardent follower of the Imran Khan-led party has been missing ever since his brief video surfaced showing Imran Riaz being driven out of Sialkot International Airport by police, during the ongoing crackdown on dissenting voices.
The family of a controversial journalist who the information minister referred to as a political mouthpiece recently filed a petition with the Lahore High Court asking for his recovery.
LHC had earlier instructed the AG to appear the TV personality before the court that same day. But after the deadline has passed and he was never introduced in court. Last week, a complaint was made by Imran’s father at the Civil Lines police station accusing unnamed persons of kidnapping Imran and keeping him under duress.
Imran was not in police custody, Punjab IGP Dr. Usman Anwar informed the court during the prior hearing.
Punjab IG informs LHC that Imran Riaz is not present in any police station across Pakistan
