ISLAMABAD: A reporter associated with a Lahore-based private media house has gone missing in Karachi, his employer said on Saturday.
According to Geo television, Ali Imran Syed has been missing since Friday evening.
A report published on the channel’s website said the Syed left his home between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm after telling his family he would be back home in half an hour. However, he has not returned home since.
His car was parked outside the house and he had left his mobile phone at home, the report quoted his wife as saying.
The channel’s administration stated that the Karachi police chief and deputy inspector general (DIG) East have been informed about Syed’s disappearance, according to the publication, which added the family had also submitted a report to Sachal police station in the Gulzar-e-Hijri neighbourhood.
Meanwhile, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab said Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has taken notice of the incident and spoken to the provincial police chief Mushtaq Mahar.
CM Sindh has taken notice & spoken to IG Sindh. The matter is being investigated. Will keep u informed about the progress. Insha’Allah all efforts will be made for his recovery https://t.co/b6egpNuiRj
— Murtaza Wahab Siddiqui (@murtazawahab1) October 24, 2020
“The matter is being investigated,” he said.
Responding to the development, Amnesty International said Syed was “feared to have been subjected to an enforced disappearance for his reporting”.
Pakistan: Ali Imran Syed, a reporter for Geo News, has been missing from Karachi since yesterday and feared to have been subject to an enforced disappearance for his reporting. The authorities must establish his whereabouts immediately. #JournalismIsNotACrime #EndDisappearances
— Amnesty International South Asia (@amnestysasia) October 24, 2020
“The authorities must establish his whereabouts immediately,” the rights group said.
