Nasrullah Khan Chaudhry, a senior sub-editor of Nai Baat daily newspaper was picked up Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the police during a raid on his home in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and media centre.

Chaudhry’s wife Ghulam Fatima submitted an application to the police station, in which she stated that armed men some in plain clothes accompanied by some in uniform raided their home around 2:15 am on Saturday, November 10 and took away the journalist along his computer.

On November 12, a petition of Chaudhry’s disappearance was filed in the Sindh High Court in missing persons account.

After the petition, Chaudhry was presented before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) by Counter Terrorism Department (CTD). The Investigation Officer (IO) Syed Ali Haider asked for a two-week physical remand of the journalist but the ATC Judge Naimatullah Phulpoto rejected his plea. The court gave two-day physical remand of the journalist to CTD and directed the officers to present Chaudhry on November 14.

During the hearing in ATC court the investigating officer of CTD alleged that they have found magazines on Jihad from the journalist’s house but when the judge asked him to show the magazines, he answered that they left the magazines at the journalist home.

The investigating officer stated before the court that they arrested Chaudhry on November 11. But his wife had already submitted application of Chaudhry’s disappearance on November 10.

Tariq Abul Hasan, President of Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ) Dastoor told Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF) that a demonstration camp had been organized by KPC outside the press club. All PFUJ and KUJ groups are united and protesting against both incidents, forcible intrusion in KPC premises and illegal detention of a senior journalist.

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KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court issued on Monday non-bailable warrants of arrest for two suspects said to be affiliated with a banned sectarian outfit, allegedly involved in the murder of a journalist.

The ATC-II issued warrants for Adeel Raza Zaidi and Salman Raza as police submitted the charge sheet of the case. Another suspect, Zeeshan Haider Zaidi, is in custody in connection with the killing.

Zeeshan’s arrest was revealed by the counter terrorism department in September, two weeks after journalist Aftab Alam was gunned down outside his house in North Karachi. The prosecution maintains that the suspects belonged to the defunct Shia militant group Sipah-i-Muhammad Pakistan (SMP).

The arrested suspect has confessed in police custody that he, in collusion with his absconding accomplices, killed Alam, the investigators claim.

Zeeshan, who is an employee of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, is said to be the leader of a target killing team of the SMP and is accused of killing at least five people on sectarian grounds in the city this year.

The court has ordered the police to arrest the absconding suspects and present them on next hearing of the case on January 15, 2016.

Express Tribune