Rana Sanaullah slams Matiullah Jan's arrest as 'fabricated' amid growing outrage

Senior journalist Matiullah Jan was granted a two-day physical remand on Thursday after being arrested in a case that has sparked widespread criticism for its alleged fabricated charges. 

The case, which includes accusations of drug possession and terrorism, has been denounced as politically motivated by many in the media and legal circles.

Meanwhile, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah dismissed the charges against senior journalist Matiullah Jan as a “concocted and fabricated story” during an interview with a local news channel on Thursday.

Sanaullah, when questioned about the First Information Report (FIR) filed against Jan and his own past narcotics case, drew parallels, stating, “Such stories are often fabricated when needed. They've been made against us, and they were made against me as well.”

He further criticised the Islamabad police, stating that the police chief should be held accountable since the force was the complainant in the FIR. “This FIR must be decided on merit,” Sanaullah argued. 

“The only thing that should be done on merit is that those who fabricated this false story should be punished, and the person who was wrongfully targeted should be released,” he added.

Sanaullah also defended Jan's journalistic work, highlighting the role of independent journalists in uncovering the truth. He noted that individuals like Jan were actually contributing positively to the country by investigating and reporting on unverified claims, including rumours of death figures during the PTI protests. 

“Such lies cannot stand when independent journalists do their due diligence and report the facts,” he asserted.

Jan was detained in Islamabad late Wednesday night, with his son initially reporting that "unknown individuals" had abducted him. Authorities later confirmed the arrest and filed an FIR at the Margalla police station. 

The FIR alleged that Jan's vehicle, a white Toyota Yaris, was signalled to stop at a police checkpoint in Islamabad's E-9 area. The driver, later identified as Jan, is accused of deliberately attempting to ram the vehicle into police officers, injuring Constable Mudassir in the process.

Following the alleged assault, Jan is said to have exited the vehicle, assaulted the constable, and taken his service rifle, which he allegedly pointed back at the officer. 

The FIR claimed that Jan appeared to be under the influence of narcotics, with a subsequent search of his vehicle reportedly uncovering 246 grams of methamphetamine (commonly known as "ice").

Jan's legal team has strongly contested the charges. His lawyer, Hadi Ali Chatta, described the allegations as baseless and insisted that Jan was merely fulfilling his journalistic duties, specifically reporting on sensitive political events. "If Matiullah Jan is found guilty of drug possession, I will quit practising law," Chatta stated in court.

The police sought a 30-day physical remand, but the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC), presided over by Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, only granted two days. While the remand was being discussed, Jan reportedly vowed to continue his work as a journalist, stressing that his arrest was connected to his reporting.