Senior journalist Matiullah Jan was remanded to police custody on Thursday for two days following his arrest on charges of terrorism and narcotics, a case that has drawn widespread criticism.

Jan was reportedly arrested in Islamabad last night, leading to concerns from human rights organisations regarding his safety. His son claimed that his father was “abducted” by “unknown individuals.” It was later revealed that Jan had been booked in a first information report earlier in the day.

He appeared in an anti-terrorism court following his arrest. Jan has been booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

In its reserved verdict, ATC judge Tahir Abbas Supra granted the police a two-day physical remand of the journalist while responding to the prosecutor’s request for a 30-day remand.

Prosecutor Raja Naveed appeared on behalf of the state. Advocate Faisal Chaudhry represented Jan.

‘I was working on dead bodies’

This week more than 10,000 marchers flooded Islamabad, defying a ban on public gatherings before being evicted in a sweeping security crackdown.

The government said at least five security personnel were killed whilst Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party allege at least 10 of their own were shot dead by security forces.

Government ministers have denied the allegations.

Matiullah Jan, a presenter for TV channel Neo News with a popular YouTube channel, and another reporter were investigating the claims at Islamabad’s PIMS Hospital when they were detained late Wednesday, his lawyer Imaan Mazari said.

“They were trying to ascertain the total number of deaths,” she told AFP. “They were doing their journalistic duties.”

Mazari said Jan was brought before an anti-terror court in Islamabad for a hearing on Thursday afternoon where he was remanded in custody for two days.

“The reason for this, you all know, is that I was working on the dead bodies,” he told reporters as he entered court.

Maitullah Jan ‘abducted’

In a social media post, anchorperson Hamid Mir claimed that Jan has been abducted from Islamabad. But later reports said that the senior journalist was found at the federal capital’s Margalla Police Station. An FIR has accused him of threatening security officials.

Jan, a prominent YouTuber, has been booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday morning, Mir claimed that Jan and another journalist, Saqib Bashir, were abducted by unidentified individuals on the night of November 26.

While Saqib Bashir was later released, Matiullah Jan remained missing.

According to the anchorperson, Bashir was about to file a petition with the Islamabad High Court regarding the incident.

Another journalist, Roohan Ahmad, said that Jan was abducted outside the PIMS hospital.

It is noteworthy that Matiullah Jan previously shared a video on social media showing a Rangers official being run over by a vehicle in Islamabad. He claimed the Rangers official was struck by his own vehicle. But several Rangers officials later stated that a speeding vehicle driven by protesters ran over their colleague.

Jan had also claimed that PIMS officials were being pressured not to report casualties in the operation against the PTI protest.

A post from journalist Arifa Noor at 9:12am said that Jan was revealed to be at Margalla Police Station in Islamabad and journalists were heading over to meet him.

However, his lawyer Imaan Mazari later said that the journalist was moved from the police station before she could meet him.

FIR

The FIR filed against Matiullah Jan in the Margalla Police station said that the arrest was made in E9 in contrast to the original reports of his abduction near PIMS.

The FIR further alleges that Jan was driving a white car at a high speed when asked to stop by security. Instead, he tried to run the security staff over.

He then allegedly snatched a guard’s gun and pointed it at him. The FIR also alleged that Matiullah was intoxicated at the time.

The complaint stated that upon scanning the vehicle, a shopping bag containing 246 grams of ice was found in the car.

HRCP, Amnesty seek Jan’s release

Successive Pakistan governments have been criticised by rights monitors for using overbroad anti-terrorism legislation to quash dissent.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan demanded Jan’s “immediate and unconditional release”.

“This authoritarian tactic to silence journalists must cease,” the organisation said in a statement on social media site X.

Jan has a history of criticising Pakistan’s powerful military establishment, which analysts say engineers the rise and fall of the country’s civilian leaders.

He was also briefly detained by uniformed men in the middle of Khan’s four-year tenure in 2020.

The Asia office of the Committee to Protect Journalists said “authorities must ensure Jan’s safety and immediate release”.

More than 1,000 marchers were arrested over the three days of unrest in Islamabad, police said.

Amnesty International said security forces used “unlawful and excessive force” on crowds.

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But Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters on Wednesday PTI “are lying saying people have died”.

Protesters’ chief demand was the release of Khan, who has been jailed since August 2023 and snarled in a succession of legal cases he insists were orchestrated to prevent his comeback in February elections.

PTI won more seats than any other party in the vote but were shut out of power by a coalition of parties considered close to the military establishment.

The party has staged regular protests alleging the vote was rigged, but this week was the largest by far to grip the capital since the poll.