KARACHI: Aaj News senior staff member Nafees Naeem went missing on Monday after he was ‘picked up’ by men in plainclothes who bundled him into the backseat of a Vigo. His whereabouts are as yet unknown.
Naeem, who has spent over a decade at Aaj News and currently works as an assignment editor in Karachi, was picked up while buying groceries near his residence in the Nazimabad area of Karachi.
Witnesses informed Naeem’s family that he was forcibly put into the back of a white-coloured Vigo (a four-wheel-drive truck) by men in plainclothes.
CCTV footage shows a vehicle stopping as Naeem was passing by. Two men in plainclothes step out of the vehicle while another rushes in and bundles Naeem into the backseat of the vehicle.
A police vehicle was following the Vigo, witnessed said while the same could be heard in the CCTV recording.
According to Naeem’s wife, he left the house a little before 4pm to get groceries and didn’t return.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police West-Zone Nasir Aftab confirmed to Aaj News that the journalist was not detained at any police station in his jurisdiction.
The management of Aaj News has strongly condemned the disappearance of their senior assignment editor.
“If any person has acted against the law, legal action should be taken against them,” it said in a statement. It said that everyone has the right to defend themselves in a court of law. It said that if there was any police case against the journalist, then he should be proceeded against as per the law. “It is not acceptable to take a person into custody using illegal means,” said the statement from the Aaj News management. “No agency can be given the right to take a citizen into custody without any charge, FIR or complaint.” The management of Aaj News has demanded of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to take notice of the incident and said that the government should ensure the immediate recovery of Nafees Naeem.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned the incident while demanding Naeem’s immediate release. “Journalists must not be threatened or harmed for discharging their duties, and the perpetrators must be held accountable,” it said in a tweet.
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has strongly condemned the ‘abduction’ of the Karachi-based journalist.
PFUJ President Shahzada Zulfiqar and Secretary General Nasir Zaidi, while condemning the incident, demanded Naeem’s immediate release along with the arrest of those involved in his disappearance.
PFUJ leadership urged the Sindh government and police to take urgent measures for the safe release of Nafees and make all out efforts for the safety security of journalists and media workers. “Otherwise, a protest will be launched against such disappearances.”
Raising questions about the disappearance, journalist Asma Shirazi asked who was behind the kidnapping and for what reason? “Who should we ask?”
She urged the investigating authorities - including police and intelligence officials - to investigate the incident.
“Nafis is a very sophisticated person and a professional journalist. It is incomprehensible to pick up a harmless journalist like him,” she tweeted with the hashtag #ReleaseNafees Naeem.
Journalist Matiullah Jan, who was ‘picked up’ last year, urged the journalistic fraternity to approach the Sindh High Court on immediate basis to save the life of the abducted journalist. Matiullah was released 12 hours after being abducted from Islamabad as the incident was captured on CCTV and resulted in pressure for his release.
Journalist Munizae Jahangir, who hosts a current affairs show on the same channel, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab to take action over the disappearance.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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