The Islamabad High Court (IHC) halted on Friday the two-day physical remand of senior journalist Matiullah Jan, who faces terrorism and narcotics charges widely criticised by people.

Jan was charged on Thursday after allegedly being detained by “unknown individuals” in Islamabad the previous night. His son reported the abduction before authorities confirmed the filing of a first information report later that day.

On the same day, the journalist was brought before the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court, where Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra approved a two-day physical remand for Jan, rejecting the police’s request for a longer 30-day custody.

In response, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir reviewed a petition submitted by the journalist’s legal team earlier in the morning.

Advocates Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha represented journalist Matiullah Jan in court. In a post on X, Imaan stated that she had urged the court to prioritise the hearing of their petition due to the “urgency of the matter.”

She also stated that a bail petition for Jan would be submitted on Friday (today). Islamabad High Court Bar Association President Riasat Ali Azad was present during the proceedings.

At the beginning of the hearing, the ATC’s order was presented as per the court’s instructions. Imaan argued that “Matiullah Jan was arrested in a false and fabricated case” and stressed the need for the court to hear the petition regarding his physical remand, claiming that any delay until tomorrow (Saturday) or Monday would render it ineffective.

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Azad informed the court that an affidavit from Saqib Bashir, another journalist who was briefly detained, was available.

He described the case as “a baseless story based on lies” and noted that the court had removed objections to the petition. He highlighted that the FIR against Jan did not mention any allegations of drug trafficking.

As a result, the judges ordered the suspension of journalist’s physical remand and directed that he be placed on judicial remand instead.