Senior journalist Matiullah Jan was kidnapped from Islamabad Sector G-6 in broad daylight, revealed by the family sources. He returned home after 12 hours of abduction late on Tuesday night.
The journalist’s family sources said that Jan was released by unidentified persons in a deserted area in Fateh Jang, outside Islamabad. He is fine and no torture happened by the kidnappers during the period of his abduction.
Matiullah Jan gave the statement after his return that he was blindfolded and taken to an unknown area after his kidnapping. The kidnappers drove around the city before releasing him in Fateh Jang, where some residents helped him reach his home and family.
A CCTV footage is released showing three cars , one Vigo and one ambulance apparently while men in uniform picking up Matiullah Jan. Journalist Jan worked as a freelancer for numerous local and foreign media channels, was supposed to appear in the Supreme Court this week after it took suo motu notice of an alleged disrespectful tweet by the journalist.
Earlier in the day, Jan’s wife Kaneez Sughra had said that his car was found parked outside a school in Sector G-6 of the capital with one of his mobile phones inside the vehicle. CCTV footage released by the school where Sughra is the teacher clearly shows that some armed men force Jan into a sedan outside the main gate.
Jan is seen throwing a mobile phone over the school fence, towards a school security guard to give it back to a man in uniform.
Jan’s wife says “There were more than five people — some in civilian clothes, others in black uniforms — who forcibly picked up my husband”. Sughra said her husband had been followed in recent weeks.
As the news of his abduction break, a tweet was posted on Matiullah Jan’s account at 3:17 pm — allegedly by his son — wrote: “Matiullahjan, my father, has been abducted from the heart of the capital [Islamabad]. I demand he be found and the agencies behind it immediately be held responsible. God keep him safe.” This tweet drew the attention of his fellow journalists and acting bodies.
Information Minister Shibli Faraz also confirmed the journalist’s abduction during a post-cabinet meeting presser later in the evening. “This much is established that he [Jan] has been kidnapped,” said Faraz. “We will try to find out where he is and how he can be recovered. This is the responsibility of the government and it will fulfill it,” he added.
Matiullah Jan was trending on twitter with five hashtags and his fellow fraternity also shared the CCTV footage and took the case to higher authorities which led him to be released later in the evening after around 12 hours of abduction.