 "Did Pakistan’s ISI ‘abduct’ a dissenter poet, who covered PoK's anti-government protests?")
Ahmad Farhad, a poet and journalist, has gone missing in Pakistan. His disappearance has led to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) giving four days to the Pakistan government to locate him.
Farhad has reportedly been missing since 14 May.
Who is he and what do we know about his disappearance? Let’s take a closer look.
Who is Ahmad Farhad?
Farhad hails from the Bagh district of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), as per an Al Jazeera article.
He was associated with several media organisations, including Bol News. The 38-year-old, who is known for his criticism of Pakistan’s establishment – a term used for the country’s powerful military, had reported on the recent anti-government protests in PoK, the article added.
Violent protests erupted in PoK earlier in May over rising costs of food, fuel and other essentials amid Pakistan’s economic crisis.
How did he go missing?
The poet’s family has alleged Pakistan ’s spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is behind his disappearance.
Syeda Urooj Zainab, Farhad’s spouse, told Al Jazeera that her husband was returning to their residence in Islamabad late on the night of 14 May when he was grabbed by four men outside the home’s gate.
She alleges he was put in a car and they “sped away”. “It was past midnight on [15 May], when four men, wearing dark-coloured clothes, pushed him in a big four-wheel-drive vehicle as they all sped away,” Zainab alleged.
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More ShortsShe said three other vehicles also accompanied the car.
Zainab claims that her husband had expressed concerns about threats to his life due to his reporting on issues in PoK.
“He had told me that his instincts are telling him his life might be at risk due to his commentary on what is happening in his hometown. But he was clear in his view that the establishment has been after him for a long time,” she told Al Jazeera.
According to Zainab, her husband told her that government agencies had been pressuring him for several months over his perceived support for Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
She said her husband’s loyalty was not to any party but to “human rights”.
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Ahmad Farhad’s family moves IHC
His family petitioned the Islamabad High Court, blaming ISI for his disappearance because of his criticism of authorities.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Zainab alleged that she received communication on WhatsApp from Farhad, two days after his alleged kidnapping, asking her to withdraw her petition in the court for his return home.
“I could tell he was being coerced into sending the message. He asked me to withdraw my petition, and he would return home. He also said he is away for some private business, but it was clearly a forced statement” she alleged.
On Tuesday (21 May), the IHC gave the Pakistan government four days to find the missing poet.
In its hearing on Monday, the court had warned it would summon the defence secretary if the police did not locate Farhad.
The court directed the police to “investigate the allegations with reference to the officials of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) by recording the statement of officials”.
A defence ministry official told the court that the poet is not in the custody of the ISI.
During the Tuesday hearing, Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan assured the court of Farhad’s recovery. “[We] will do whatever it takes. [We] will rescue and recover [Farhad],” the AGP said, as per Geo TV.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani asked the AGP to ensure that “no one gets picked up from Islamabad”.
“If a person does not get recovered, it will be a failure of the state,” the judge reportedly said.
The next hearing of the case is on Friday.
Rights organisation react
Farhad’s alleged abduction has put the spotlight on Pakistan’s history of targeting critics and politicians allegedly by ISI and the country’s military.
Rights organisations have accused the spy agency and the establishment of illegally detaining and torturing dissenters. Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies have denied any role in enforced disappearances.
Taking to X, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) wrote, “Poet Ahmed Farhad must be released immediately by the authorities. HRCP demands that such abductions and arrests of those seen as political dissenters must come to an end immediately. There can be no compromise on artistic freedoms and freedom of expression.”
Poet Ahmed Farhad must be released immediately by the authorities. HRCP demands that such abductions and arrests of those seen as political dissenters must come to an end immediately. There can be no compromise on artistic freedoms and freedom of expression.
— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) May 15, 2024
As per ANI, protests were also organised by the Awami Action Committee and students from PoK, calling for the release of Farhad.
With inputs from agencies
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