Pak court suspends journalist Jan's physical remand, orders judicial custody

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani high court on Friday suspended the two-day physical remand of detained senior journalist Matiullah Jan in case of terrorism and narcotics and ordered to send him to jail on judicial remand.

Jan was booked on Thursday after reportedly being arrested in Islamabad and was initially granted a two-day physical remand by the Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC).

However, the journalist challenged the remand in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) through his advocates on Friday morning.

Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir took up the petition and after hearing his lawyers, suspended the remand and ordered to send him to jail on judicial remand.

Jan's lawyer said a bail petition was being filed to seek his release.

The journalist's family said that he was picked up from outside the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in the G-7 area of the city late on Wednesday where he went to report on the people injured during the clashes between the workers of jailed former premier Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and police.

According to an FIR, Jan, initially not known to the police, was drunk and arrested after he tried to run his car over the police at a security checkpoint in Sector E-9 and injured a constable in the incident. It also stated that the journalist snatched a gun from the police and assaulted the officials present.

Jan's son Abdul Razzaq, however, alleged that his father was arrested for his devotion to reporting on the ongoing political developments in Pakistan even at 3 am to keep the public "informed".

“The unknown individuals, unknown vehicles — the real heirs to Pakistan — picked him up based on this issue,” Razzaq alleged in a video posted on his father’s X account.

Anchorperson Munizae Jahangir said Jan was “reporting from hospitals on those injured and killed from bullet wounds at the PTI protest and [it] seems that’s why he has been arrested for his journalistic work”.

Khan's PTI has said that four people were killed and over 50 others were injured in the party's protest in Islamabad, which it suspended after a midnight crackdown by the authorities.

However, all senior officials, including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Information Minister Atta Tarar, have rejected their claims about casualties.

The journalist's arrest and the charges brought against him sparked criticism from human rights organisations, the journalism community, and several prominent politicians.

Political Advisor to the Prime Minister, Rana Sanaullah, told Geo News in an interview that apparently the FIR filed against Jan was bogus. “The Islamabad police chief should come forward and explain the situation,” he said.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also expressed grave alarm over “reports of the abduction” of Jan, noting it followed “his coverage of protests by supporters of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan”.

Jan is known for his aggressive reporting on political issues and went missing in 2020 when Khan, 72, was the prime minister but was later released unharmed.