Senior journalist Matiullah Jan booked in terrorism, narcotics case as CPJ, HRCP demand release

Senior journalist Matiullah Jan was booked in a terrorism and narcotics case on Thursday, 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 Thursday.

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, in the early hours of Thursday.

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.

It 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 invoked also sections 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 as well as sections 279 (Rash driving or riding on a public way), 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property), 382 (theft after preparation made for causing death, hurt or restraint), 506ii (threat to cause death or grievous hurt), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of Rs50), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 186 (obstructing public servant) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the complainant, 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.

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”.

CPJ, HRCP demand 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.”

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.

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.