Recover Matiullah Jan, otherwise the authorities will appear in person tomorrow: Islamabad High Court

Recover Matiullah Jan, otherwise the authorities will appear in person tomorrow: Islamabad High Court

Chief Justice Islamabad High Court Justice Athar Minallah has ordered the recovery of senior journalist Matiullah Jan and asked the concerned authorities that if Matiullah could not be recovered, the parties should appear in person tomorrow.

It may be recalled that Matiullah Jan, a Pakistani journalist known for his criticism of undemocratic forces, was abducted from Islamabad on Tuesday morning. His car was found parked outside the school in Sector G6 where he had come to drop off his wife.

A petition filed in the High Court later sought recovery of the abductee and action against those responsible. The petition was filed by the abductee's brother, stating that Matiullah Jan is a senior journalist and a critic of government measures. The Interior Ministry, Defense Ministry and Islamabad Police have been made parties in the petition.

The Islamabad High Court has issued notices to the Home Secretary, Chief Commissioner and IG Police.

Shortly before the court notice, Information Minister Senator Shibli Faraz confirmed in a press conference that Matiullah Jan had been abducted.

He said he did not yet have details of the incident, "but it is certain that he was abducted."

He said that after receiving the news of Matiullah Jan's abduction, he contacted Interior Minister Ijaz Shah but he was going to the hospital to see his brother.

Shibli Faraz said, "We will do our best to find out at least as soon as possible where they are and what measures can be taken to recover them." Obviously, this is the duty of the government and the government will fulfill its duty.

Human Rights Minister Shirin Mazari also took the news as a matter of concern in a message on her Twitter account and said that she had contacted IG Islamabad.

Earlier, Matiullah Jan's wife told BBC Urdu's Azam Khan that she had come to drop him off at the government school in Sector G-Six at 9.30 am on Tuesday where she teaches.

According to Matiullah's wife, he was informed by the school's security guard that his car had been parked outside the school since about 11:30 p.m.

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According to Matiullah Jan's wife, "the car windows were open, the car key and the phone he was using were inside the car." She said, "When I could not contact my husband, I He immediately called the police and after some time the police reached the spot.

Footage from CCTV cameras installed at the school showed more than half a dozen people in three vehicles forcibly putting Matiullah in a car at around 11.30am, while Matiullah Jan also took his phone to the school. A uniformed gunman picks up people inside the school.

Mati's wife also said that a mobile phone had fallen inside the school premises which was picked up by another teacher and kept with her. A short time later, a tall man in uniform came and asked for the phone and took it back. It all happened so fast that I couldn't understand it. "

Footage from CCTV cameras shows Matiullah being forced into a car by people in three vehicles.

A police officer stationed at Aabpara police station told the BBC that police had obtained CCTV footage of the incident involving Matiullah Jan, but the faces were not yet clear.

He said that a final opinion could be formed only after a careful review of the footage. Regarding the policemen seen in the footage, he said that some policemen were also seen in the video who were apparently wearing anti-terrorism force uniforms. However, the police officer said that based on the uniforms, the police It is not possible to accurately assess the personnel station or deployment.

It may be recalled that Matiullah Jan was appearing in the Supreme Court on Wednesday in a contempt of court case. Last Wednesday, Pakistan's Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed issued a notice to him on a controversial tweet.

Who is Matiullah Jan?

Matiullah Jan holds a Masters in Defense and Strategic Studies from Quaid-e-Azam University and has been a journalist for the past three decades.

He has been associated with various TV channels in Pakistan but nowadays he was running his own channel on YouTube.

His father was a lieutenant colonel in the army and he himself had received a commission in the army but he left the service after some time.

Image caption

Matiullah Jan's car was found parked outside his wife's school

Matiullah Jan has been harassed in the past as well.

Matiullah Jan's car was also attacked in September 2017. The incident took place at Bara Kahu in Islamabad when motorcyclists hit a brick on the windscreen of Matiullah's car, causing cracks on the windscreen.

Matiullah Jan's children were also in the car with him at the time of the attack.

Also in June 2018, when the then military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor accused some social media accounts of tweets based on anti-state propaganda.