‘Picked up by armed men’: Pakistani TV journalist returns home after 24 hours

About 24 hours after being “picked up at gunpoint”, Pakistani TV journalist Zubair Anjum returned home in Karachi in the wee hours of Wednesday, Dawn reported.

The Geo News executive producer was allegedly picked up by “armed men in plain clothes” accompanying those in police uniform. He claimed the men had seized his phone and a digital video recorder from a neighbouring house. However, the police said that they had “no information” in this regard and that they were “investigating” the incident. 

Anjum’s return was announced by Geo News today, with the channel quoting his brother as saying that Anjum was in “good health”.

Last week, Pakistani lawyer and rights activist Jibran Nasir was “picked up by unidentified men” from his Karachi residence. He too returned home after around 24 hours.

On May 24, prominent Pakistani TV journalist Sami Abraham, who is known for his public support of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, was allegedly abducted. He returned home after six days. Another journalist, Gohar Wazir was abducted on April 19 and returned 30 hours later. Meanwhile, Imran Riaz Khan, who was detained by unidentified men in February, is still missing. Pakistan police have denied arresting him.

In May, the country witnessed dramatic scenes when former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court premises. Read Anand Vardhan’s piece in Newslaundry on how Khan’s arrest is a test of nerves for power alignments in Pakistan.