Islamabad: A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for the recovery of two brothers of investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani, who were allegedly forcibly disappeared due to his reporting.
Ahmad Noorani, currently based in the United States, works for Fact Focus, a news outlet that recently published an investigative report on a high-ranking military officer and his relatives.
His mother, Amina Bashir, has filed the petition under Article 199 of the Constitution, making the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Interior, Inspector General (IG) of Police, and the Station House Officer (SHO) of Noon Police Station respondents in the case.
The petition, filed through advocates Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, states that her two sons, Saif-ur-Rehman Haider and Muhammad Ali, were forcibly taken away by plainclothes individuals from their home in Islamabad at 1:05 AM.
According to the petition, their abduction is a clear case of enforced disappearance intended to silence Ahmad Noorani’s journalistic work. It also mentions that a request was submitted at Noon Police Station for filing a case, but no FIR has been registered yet, nor has any information been provided regarding their whereabouts.
The petition emphasizes that Ahmad Noorani’s brothers have no criminal record, yet they were “illegally abducted.” The court has been urged to order their recovery and presentation before the court, as well as to direct authorities to register a case against those responsible for the abduction. If there are any charges against them, the petition requests that they be made public.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International has condemned the raid and the enforced disappearance of Ahmad Noorani’s brothers, calling it a "symbol of the ongoing crackdown on dissent in Pakistan."
The organization further stated, "Targeting the family members of a journalist living abroad for his critical reporting is an attack on the right to freedom of expression."
This development comes just days after a case was registered against Ahmad Noorani under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) for cyber terrorism, defaming state institutions, and spreading false information.
Amnesty International has urged Pakistani authorities to ensure the safe return of Ahmad Noorani’s brothers and conduct an immediate, thorough, and impartial investigation into their disappearance.
