Police still clueless about Imran Riaz’s whereabouts

Law enforcement agencies and Punjab Inspector General Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar failed to produce missing journalist Imran Riaz Khan before the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday.

LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti adjourned the proceedings till next week and directed Khan’s father to express his concerns before the working committee.

During today’s proceedings, IGP Anwar informed the court that all efforts were being made in collaboration with law enforcement agencies on the case. He further said that the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) was contacted for identifying those who took Khan away.

Previous proceedings

The search for the missing journalist took a perplexing turn as key government officials failed to locate him, further prolonging the court proceedings.

Secretaries of defence and interior, along with Dr Usman Anwar, informed the LHC that the cell phones used in the case belonged to Afghanistan, and their capacity to trace them was limited.

The journalist, who is a staunch and vocal supporter of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its policies, was arrested by the police on May 11 from Sialkot Airport.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2023.