Daily Times

Punjab Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar told the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday that there was no trace of anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan – whose whereabouts remain unknown since his arrest at Sialkot airport on May 11 – at any police department across the country.

The senior official made the remarks as the LHC heard a plea seeking Imran’s recovery. The LHC chief justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti warned authorities that the court would not “spare anyone” should any harm be caused to Imran Riaz. The anchor was reportedly arrested for allegedly inciting violence during clashes between security forces and PTI supporters after the arrest of PTI chief Imran Khan. On May 12, the LHC ordered the IG prisons to present the journalist in court on the same day. The IG, however, told the court that the jail authorities had already released Khan. The LHC, frustrated with the lack of answers from Sialkot’s district police officer (DPO) in locating Khan, had summoned the IGP to help locate him. During the proceedings on May 20 however, the IGP on several occasions had appeared clueless about how to respond to a barrage of queries by the CJ. When repeatedly questioned in the courtroom about why the system has failed to trace the anchorperson, the IG Punjab dismissed the notion that the anchorperson had been kidnapped, suggesting instead that he had hidden himself somewhere. IGP Dr Usman updated the court on the actions taken by the police and their plans for the future. He stated that they had initiated the process of geo-fencing, collected data from Jazz and Telenor, obtained CCTV footage, contacted NADRA for the identification process, and involved agencies such as FIA, IB, ISI, and others.