Islamabad Police 'arrest' journalist Matiullah Jan

Pakistani journalist Matiullah Jan was arrested on Thursday by Islamabad police after an alleged altercation at a security checkpoint in the capital.

The incident occurred in the wee hours of Thursday when Matiullah Jan, while driving, was reportedly ordered to stop at an E-9 checkpoint by police officers, Express News reported.

According to an FIR (First Information Report) filed by the police, when Jan's vehicle failed to stop, it collided with a constable on duty, injuring him.

Following the collision, Matiullah allegedly seized the officer's government-issued weapon and threatened to kill him. Authorities have stated that the journalist was reportedly "under the influence" at the time of the incident.

Matiullah Jan was taken into custody and transported to Margalla Police Station, where a case has been registered against him. The police are pursuing legal proceedings.

He will be presented before an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad later today for further proceedings.

However, human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir claimed that Jan was "missing."

"After pleading with police at Margalla Police Station to allow us access to our client Matiullah Jan, we were finally allowed in,” she said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). “The people locked up inside confirmed to me that right before we came, the police took Matiullah Jan. He is missing.”

In a post on his X account, Jan’s son Abdul Razzaq claimed his father was abducted from the parking lot of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad around 11pm by unmarked abductors in an unmarked vehicle. His post also claimed journalist Saqib Bashir, who was with Jan at the time, was briefly abducted before being released.

“Matiullah Jan has been abducted from the parking of Pims tonight at around 11pm by unmarked abductors in an unmarked vehicle,” the post read. “This follows [Jan’s] courageous coverage of the protests in Islamabad,” it continued.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed concern over the alleged abduction and called for Jan’s safety and release. "Authorities must ensure Jan’s safety and immediate release," CPJ said in a statement, also demanding a swift and impartial investigation. The CPJ noted the ongoing impunity surrounding the journalist's earlier abduction in 2020.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) similarly demanded Jan's immediate release, condemning the alleged arrest as part of an "authoritarian tactic to silence journalists." “This authoritarian tactic to silence journalists must cease,” the HRCP asserted.