File photo
TV anchor Imran Riaz Khan, “missing” since May, has “safely” returned to his family, according to separate statements of his lawyer and police in Sialkot, where he had been seen last.
Khan was initially arrested on May 11, after the May 9 riots, while trying to leave the country via Sialkot airport. CCTV footage showed him being taken to the Cantt Police Station before being transferred to Sialkot prison, though he was not produced in court. On May 15, the Lahore High Court took up a petition against his “disappearance,” with a law office informing the court that Khan had been released from jail after submitting a written undertaking and was no longer in the custody of police.
Subsequently, the court granted police multiple chances to recover Khan, as his lawyer urged calm, maintaining that “negotiations” were underway to secure his client’s release. He did not clarify who he was negotiating with, or whose custody Khan was in, as police maintained he was not in the custody of any law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Announcing Khan’s return on X, Sialkot police said he had been “safely recovered,” and was now back with his family. In a separate statement, also posted on X, Khan’s lawyer Mian Ali Ashfaq wrote: “By God’s special blessing, grace, and mercy, I have brought back my prince. It took a lot of time due to the mountain of difficulties, the last limit of understanding of the matter, a weak judiciary, and the current ineffective public constitution and legal helplessness.”
According to local media, Khan is in a “weakened” state but is generally well. They said he would issue a statement in due course. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), of which Khan has been a vociferous supporter, praised his return but called for the release of all “political prisoners.”
Last week, the LHC had granted the Punjab police chief “a last opportunity” to recover Khan, with the chief justice observing his patience was “running thin” over the anchor’s continued unexplained disappearance. It had then adjourned proceedings until Sept. 26, directing police to ensure he was returned to his family by then.
During proceedings, both the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI) had said Khan was not in their custody, with the court directing “all agencies” to work together to locate him and produce him in court.