Imran Riaz Khan, a journalist, is still missing in Pakistan.
Neither his family nor the police appear to be aware of the whereabouts of the contentious commentator since his arrest at the Sialkot airport.
Pakistan's Islamabad - A brief video of Pakistani journalist and political analyst Imran Riaz Khan leaving Sialkot International Airport with a group of police officials first surfaced on social media about two weeks ago.
The contentious 47-year-old YouTube pundit, who has more than three million subscribers, hasn't been spotted in public since, and neither his family nor the authorities appear to be aware of his whereabouts.
Usman Riaz Khan, Imran Riaz Khan's 32-year-old brother, claimed that on May 11, the day the video was shot, Imran Riaz Khan was traveling to Oman after opting to leave Pakistan after the police raided his home in Lahore the day before.
The younger brother stated to Al Jazeera on Tuesday, "My brother was able to distill political affairs in his 16-minute-long videos, and he always told the truth, which is why he was picked up."
Usman Riaz Khan, who is in Lahore, stated that sources with the Punjab police had informed his family that his brother had been transferred to the police station after being detained at the Sialkot airport.
"The police told us that we only released him that night when we enquired about it. "Police also claimed that he left with a group of unknown individuals, and they have no further information on him," Usman said, noting that his brother is not facing any legal action.
But in a formal police complaint, the boy's father asserted that CCTV footage from the police station showed his son being "kidnapped" by "four to five masked men" after being let go.
Imran Riaz Khan's detention was criticized by the family's attorney, Azhar Siddique, who claimed that no charges had been filed against Imran Riaz Khan anywhere in the nation.
The family would appeal, the lawyer said in a statement to Al Jazeera on Tuesday. "Despite having no grounds to keep him, the authorities are finding excuses to somehow slow down and delay the process," the lawyer said.
Usman Riaz Khan stated that the police constantly asserted that Imran Riaz Khan was not in their custody during a court proceeding on May 22, 11 days after his older brother was detained at the airport.
"The next hearing is on Thursday, and the [Inspector General] told the court that he needs three more days to seek for my brother. My family has suffered severe trauma. My father has diabetes and is unable to even discuss this," he stated.
Usman Riaz Khan continued, "We haven't even told the other three kids—aside from the oldest daughter—where their father is or why he isn't at home.
governmental reaction
Usman Anwar, the inspector general of the Punjab Police, stated on Tuesday that Imran Riaz Khan was not in police custody but he would not elaborate further because the court matter was still pending.
He isn't here with us. The case is currently being heard by a judge. He is not necessary in any situation, he said in a phone message to Al Jazeera.
Amir Mir, Punjab's interim minister of information, also refuted reports that Imran Riaz Khan was being held by law enforcement.
The Punjab police commissioner responded in court. The case is being heard there, however Imran Riaz Khan is not there and we are unaware of him.
Imran Khan, military compete for power in PakistanInterior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan stated that if it is established that Imran Riaz Khan was abducted, the government will pursue the captors.
"We asked intelligence and investigation agencies, and they have said he is not with them," he said.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, the federal minister of information, stated that she opposed any unlawful actions taken against anyone while also casting doubt on Imran Riaz Khan's journalistic qualifications.
Imran Riaz Khan represents a political party. A journalist must be distinguished from people who join political parties and encourage violence. Don't mix them up with those reporters, the minister advised Channel 4 News in the UK.
Khan's controversies
The commentator and YouTuber has a contentious reputation. Imran Riaz Khan appears to be closely allied with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the political party of former prime minister Imran Khan (no relation), based on his videos and utterances.
Two days after Imran Riaz Khan was detained on suspicion of corruption, a video of him being led from the airport was captured.
After the former premier was detained, there were large-scale, violent protests all around the nation, which prompted the government to authorise the creation of military courts to trial demonstrators who attacked military sites under the harsh army act and official secrets act. More than 4,000 individuals were detained on suspicion of rioting and destruction during the protests, which claimed the lives of at least 10 people.
Imran Riaz Khan was a staunch supporter of the military and its activities against journalists prior to the former PM's ouster from power in April 2022, but his pro-military stance changed shortly after.
On charges of sedition, Imran Riaz Khan was detained twice by the police in July 2022 and February 2023. In both instances, he was freed in less than a week, and the accusations were later withdrawn.
Press liberty
The international organization for media freedom, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), denounced the "abduction" of Imran Riaz Khan and asserted that Pakistan's intelligence services are likely involved.
"It serves no purpose to ignore the euphemism for "agencies. Imran Riaz Khan was unquestionably kidnapped by Pakistan's military intelligence services, according to Daniel Bastard, the director of Asia-Pacific for RSF, in a statement released on Tuesday.
It is the responsibility of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's civilian administration to uphold the rule of law by bringing the journalist before a judge or authorizing his release. If not, any harm that may have come to him will be directly attributable to the Pakistani government.
Reporter and journalist Matiullah Jan criticized the government's inaction in trying to find Khan. Taking issue with the criticism of Imran Riaz Khan, Jan, who was also detained for one day in 2020, singled out the response by Information Minister Aurangzeb.
"You are making criticisms about someone who has been gone for almost two weeks. You criticize someone who, at the very least, is in front of you or who has the authority to respond. You're a minister, and you're demeaning a missing person just because you believe he's a member of the opposition party? Is it acceptable to vanish a party worker? Jan enquired to Al Jazeera.
Absar Alam, a journalist and analyst who survived an attempted murder in 2021, remarked that it is not acceptable to carry out illegal or unconstitutional acts.
"Produce him before the court if he has broken any laws. He might have defended similar disappearances in the past while making fun of the misery of other media workers who were attacked. But if someone has been forcibly disappeared, it was wrong before and it is wrong now, he said, according to Al Jazeera.
1.What has Imran Riaz Khan been up to?
On charges of sedition, Imran Riaz Khan was detained twice by the police in July 2022 and February 2023. In both instances, he was freed in less than a week, and the accusations were later withdrawn.
2.Imran Riaz Khan is from where?
Imran Riaz Khan, also known as "Pakistan's No. 1 Journalist," was born in Faisalabad on August 14, 1975 (Punjabi, Urdu: ). Imran Riaz has worked as a news reporter, a well-known and coveted TV host, and Pakistan's most popular vlogger, with weekly views over 10 million.
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