A joint action committee composed of civil society organisations announced a protest outside the Karachi Press Club at 4pm today against the \u201cunjust abduction\u201d of activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir, who was \u201cpicked up by unidentified men\u201d last night.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is time to demand his immediate release and ensure that justice prevails,\u201d the committee said in a statement as it urged people to participate in the protest.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in a statement issued today, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah raised concerns over Nasir\u2019s \u201cdisappearance\u201d and sought a report from the police chief. He also directed the police to expedite efforts to recover the lawyer.<\/p>\n
Sindh IG Ghulam Nabi Memon told Dawn.com, \u201cWe have received a complaint from Jibran Nasir\u2019s family and the police are trying to trace him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The complaint, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, has been registered at the Clifton police station.<\/p>\n
In it, Nasir\u2019s wife Mansha Pasha said, \u201cOn June 1, 2023, I was heading home with my husband when a white Toyota Vigo \u2014 with the registration number BF-4356 \u2014 hit our car from the front and blocked the way near Ideal Bakery at Khayaban-e-Tanzeem.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlong with it, a silver Corolla hit our car from the back and stopped it.<\/p>\n
Around 10-15 armed men dressed in civil clothes started behaving forcefully with my husband and fled after putting my husband, Jibran Nasir, in their car,\u201c she said.<\/p>\n
Pasha further demanded that legal action should be taken against the \u201c10-15 people who abducted my husband, Jibran Nasir, for unknown reasons and took him away\u201d.<\/p>\n
A day earlier, Pasha also detailed the events in a video message, seeking prayers for her husband\u2019s safety and calling for his \u201cswift recovery\u201d.<\/p>\n
Several activists, lawyers and journalists have condemned Jibran\u2019s \u201cabduction\u201d and called for his immediate release.<\/p>\n
In a tweet today, Amnesty International strongly condemned Nasir\u2019s \u201cabduction\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cJibran Nasir\u2019s abduction is yet another case that the country has seen in recent weeks in the wake of authorities cracking down on critical voices following violent clashes during Imran Khan\u2019s arrest,\u201d the human rights watchdog said.<\/p>\n
It called on authorities to \u201cexpeditiously and impartially\u201d investigate and determine Jibran\u2019s whereabouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf in state custody, Jibran must either be released immediately or if there is sufficient evidence, produce him in a civilian court, and charge him with an internationally recognisable offence,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
Nasir, who contested the 2018 general elections from Karachi as an independent candidate, has been vocal in his criticism of the recent state crackdown on the PTI as well as the legal process involving those who allegedly took part in the riots. He was listed in 2013 by the Foreign Policy Magazine amongst three Pakistanis doing inspirational work against sectarian violence.<\/p>\n
Last week, senior journalist Sami Abraham was taken away by unidentified men in Islamabad and returned home six days later. His brother Ali Raza had filed a complaint of abduction at Aabpara Police Station.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan, who was arrested on May 11 from Sialkot airport by law-enforcement agencies on charges of hate speech after violent protests erupted countrywide in the wake of PTI chief Imran Khan\u2019s arrest and then picked up by \u2018unknown persons\u2019 upon release, is still missing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A joint action committee composed of civil society organisations announced a protest outside the Karachi Press Club at 4pm today against the \u201cunjust abduction\u201d of activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir, who was \u201cpicked up by unidentified men\u201d last night. \u201cIt is time to demand his immediate release and ensure that justice prevails,\u201d the committee said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334984,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-334973","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national"},"yoast_head":"\n