Poet Ahmad Farhad went missing from outside his Islamabad home late on May 14. Image credit: X/@AhmadFarhadReal
Poet and journalist Ahmad Farhad has gone missing in Pakistan, and the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has given the Pakistani government four days to locate him.
Farhad has been reported missing since May 14.
Who is he and what do we know about his disappearance? Let’s take a closer look.
Who is Ahmad Farhad?
Farhad hails from Bagh area of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Al Jazeera article.
He is associated with several media organizations, among them bolnewsThe 38-year-old, known for his criticism of the Pakistan establishment – a term used to refer to the country’s powerful military – reported on recent anti-government protests in PoK, the article added.
Violent protests erupted in northwestern Pakistan in early May over soaring prices for food, fuel and other essential goods amid the country’s economic crisis.
How did he go missing?
The poet’s family alleges that Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is behind his disappearance.
Farhad’s wife, Saida Urooj Zainab, said: Al Jazeera Her husband was returning to his home in Islamabad late on the night of May 14 when four men apprehended him outside the gate of the house.
She claims she put him in her car and “ran away quickly. It was already past midnight.” [15 May]”At that time, four men dressed in black pushed him into a large four-wheel drive vehicle and they all fled,” Zainab claimed.
She said three other vehicles were also accompanying the car.
Zainab claims that her husband had expressed concern that his life would be threatened by reporting on issues in the Palestinian Territories.
“He told me that he instinctively felt that his life might be in danger because of his commentary on what was happening back home. clearly had the idea that the establishment had been after him for a long time,” she said. Al Jazeera.
Zainab said her husband said government agencies had been pressuring him for months over his perceived support for Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
She said her husband’s loyalty was not to any political party but to “human rights.”
Read also: Why did violence erupt in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir? Why are activists seeking India’s help?
Ahmad Farhad’s family relocates IHC
His family filed a complaint in the Islamabad High Court, blaming the ISI for his disappearance because he criticized the authorities.
Talk to Al Jazeera, Zainab claimed that two days after the alleged kidnapping, she received a WhatsApp communication from Farhad asking her to withdraw the court application seeking her return.
“I could see that he was under duress to send the message. He told me he was withdrawing the petition and was going home. He also said he was away on personal business, which was clearly a coercive statement,” she alleged.
On Tuesday (May 21), the IHC gave the Pakistani government four days to search for the missing poet.
The court had warned during Monday’s hearing that it would summon the defense secretary if police did not find Farhad.
The court directed the police to “record the statements of the personnel and investigate the allegations regarding the Integrated Intelligence Service (ISI) personnel.”
Defense Ministry officials told the court that the poet was not in ISI custody.
During the hearing on Tuesday, Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan assured the court of Farhad’s recovery.[We] I’ll do whatever it takes. [We] Rescue and recover [Farhad]” said the AGP. Geo TV.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani asked the AGP to ensure that “no one is taken away from Islamabad”.
The judge reportedly said, “If people don’t recover, it’s a failure of the state.”
The next hearing in the case will be held on Friday.
Human rights groups respond
Farhad’s alleged abduction has put a spotlight on Pakistan’s history of the ISI and the army allegedly targeting critics and politicians.
Human rights groups accused the spy agency and its organizations of illegally detaining and torturing opponents. Pakistan’s military and intelligence services deny involvement in the enforced disappearances.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) told X, “Poet Ahmed Farhad must be immediately released by the authorities. HRCP demands that such abductions and arrests of people perceived to be political opponents must stop immediately. There can be no compromise on artistic freedom and freedom of expression.”
According to AniThe Awami Action Committee and Kashmiri students also organized protests demanding Farhad’s release.
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