Abductions of PTI Media Coordinators Raise Alarm in Pakistan

Pakistan’s opposition party, led by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, reported on Saturday that its foreign media coordinator and several social media activists were allegedly “abducted” and have gone missing, VOA reported yesterday.

Relatives and Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), accused state security agencies of being involved in these disappearances and are demanding their safe return.

Among the missing is Ahmed Janjua, an international media coordinator based in Islamabad. Zulfiqar Bukhari, a PTI spokesperson, expressed concerns on social media about the abductions, linking them to ongoing international coverage of human rights abuses in Pakistan. Janjua’s wife, Farhana Barlas, has filed a petition in federal court for his recovery, claiming that 20 individuals in plain clothes forcibly entered their home, confiscating his phone and laptop.

The federal minister for information, Attaullah Tarar, did not respond to inquiries regarding the allegations against security agencies. This incident follows a recent Supreme Court ruling that granted PTI additional reserved seats in parliament, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government. Despite legal victories, Khan remains in jail, facing new charges after being ousted from power in 2022 through a parliamentary vote.