The police informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday that the whereabouts of journalist Imran Riaz Khan, who was arrested from Sialkot airport on May 11, remains unknown as there is no record of his detention in any station across the country.
In the previous hearing, the high court had given Dr Usman Anwar, who heads the force of Punjab, an opportunity to present Khan before the judge on Monday, but he failed to comply with the order.
Khan was among the individuals arrested in the wake of violent protests that erupted after the brief arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan in a land dispute on May 9.
A case concerning the disappearance of the anchorperson was registered at the Civil Lines police station, where unidentified persons and police officials were named as suspects in his “abduction.”
During the hearing on Monday, Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti inquired about the progress made in the case. Anwar said the journalist was not wanted by the police and that no traces of him were found in any police station across the country.
He further mentioned that the agencies had requested a police van. In response, the judge suggested that he could summon the intelligence agencies to provide their response.
Anwar requested the court to seek a response from the secretaries of the interior and defence ministries, directing them to assist the police in this matter. He also said the police had reached out to the Ministry of Interior but had not yet received a reply.
After listening to the top officer’s testimony, the judge gave him another chance to produce the missing anchorperson in court and warned that all parties responsible would be held accountable if any harm befell Khan.
Justice Bhatti said he would issue an order regarding the proceedings.
