It has been reported that a renowned Pakistani television journalist who disappeared one week ago, reportedly as a result of his public support for former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has returned home after being freed by his kidnappers, according to both the journalist’s family and the employer of the television station where he worked. After his release, the first thing he tweeted this morning in Urdu was “Thankful to God.”
According to his family and BOL TV, where Abrahim works, Abrahim has not been seen since Thursday, when eight individuals in four vehicles stopped his car on his way home from work in the capital city of Islamabad and whisked him away. Abrahim was on his way home after working at BOL TV. It is commonly suspected that Abrahim is being kept by the country’s security agencies, who are renowned for kidnapping, harassing, and torturing journalists. No one has claimed responsibility for Abrahim’s kidnapping, but it is widely thought that he is being held by these institutions. Abrahim has maintained a consistent and vocal opposition to the administration of Khan’s successor, Premier Shehbaz Sharif, for a significant amount of time. Khan, a former cricketer who served as president from 2018 to 2022, was dismissed from office as a result of a vote of no confidence in parliament that took place in 2018.
Imran Riaz, an additional pro-Khan TV journalist, has been missing since the beginning of this month and has not yet been liberated. In the later part of Tuesday’s proceedings, a court in Lahore is going to hear a plea regarding his disappearance. Ali Raza, Sami Abrahim’s brother, rushed to Twitter early on Tuesday morning to confirm his older brother’s freedom. In a news bulletin, BOL TV likewise announced his release from custody.
