Journalist Shakir Mehmood Awan was freed in the early hours of Sunday and went back to his house after he was allegedly kidnapped by police earlier this week.
Awan’s mother pleaded with the Lahore High Court (LHC) to get him better and bring him in right away. Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh scheduled the hearing for Friday at 9:00 a.m.
Punjab Additional IG Shahzada Sultan appeared in lieu of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), who was summoned by the LHC on Friday to consider a petition for the recovery of the “abducted” journalist and YouTuber.
The Punjab Safe City Authority was also ordered by Justice Sheikh to show the CCTV footage of the journalist being kidnapped from his home.
Muhammad Azhar Siddique, Awan’s attorney, said the police had “relieved themselves of their burden” by filing a first information report (FIR). The public prosecutor stated that they were doing everything in their power to abide by the court’s directive.
IG Punjab was called once more, and Justice Sheikh mandated that Awan appear in court on Monday.
After returning home, Awan told Dawn.com in an exclusive interview that late Thursday night, individuals wearing plain clothing and police uniforms showed up at his residence and searched it thoroughly.
“I was kidnapped from my home by over 20 unknown individuals,” he claimed. I informed them that I was out on bail in a case with the FIA. If there were any warrants against me, I asked them to show them, but they didn’t.
“I was taken away with a black cloth over my head and handcuffed, and my cell phone and other valuables were confiscated,” he continued.
For three days, I was detained at an unidentified place. At 2:00 am, I was freed in Lahore’s Cavalry Ground neighborhood.
The PTI demanded that the government stop the “abhorrent practice of abducting individuals who dare to voice dissent against their propaganda” after claiming that journalist Awan had been kidnapped on Thursday.
In a separate post on X that same day, seasoned journalist Hamid Mir claimed that Awan had been “missing since last many hours.”
