Punjab Inspector General Dr. Usman Anwar disclosed to the Lahore High Court (LHC) that phone numbers linked to Afghanistan were connected to the case of missing news presenter Imran Riaz Khan.
Imran Riaz Khan has been missing since his May 11 arrest, an event that followed a series of protests triggered by the detainment of PTI chairman Imran Khan.
Anwar provided these details as the court addressed a petition demanding Khan’s return. Subsequently, Khan’s attorney announced to Dawn.com that a writ petition regarding the news presenter’s arrest was lodged on May 12. As a result, the LHC ordered the attorney general to produce Khan in court that day. However, the orders were ignored, and the Sialkot police received a 48-hour deadline to locate Khan.
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An initial report (FIR) was lodged with the Civil Lines police on May 16, prompted by Khan’s father, Muhammad Riaz. The FIR, filed against unknown individuals and police officers for allegedly abducting Khan, invoked Section 365 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with kidnapping.
In a previous hearing, the LHC ordered all agencies to collaborate to locate and present Khan in court on May 30. This directive followed an announcement by Lahore police Deputy Inspector General Kamran Adil that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI) had no custody of the news presenter.
The hearing presided over by Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti attended by the Punjab police chief and Khan’s lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfaq. The chief justice sought clarification on why Khan was still unaccounted for and whether the interior or defense ministries had issued any reports.
The court was informed by a representative of the Ministry of Defence that they had not yet determined Khan’s location. The Punjab IG further revealed that despite conducting geo-fencing and meeting with Khan’s legal team and family as directed by the court, they failed to gather relevant information.
Dr. Anwar informed the court that foreign phone numbers traced back to Afghanistan were involved and requested permission to submit detailed information and transcripts related to the phone numbers. The hearing was then adjourned until 12:30 pm, with the Punjab IG instructed to appear in the judge’s chambers.
In the interim, Khan’s lawyer emphasized that his client was still missing. He expressed his frustration, noting that while others are found within two days, Khan has yet to recover. Justice Bhatti responded that it was easier to apprehend individuals within the country, leading Khan’s lawyer to speculate that Khan may have left for Afghanistan.
