Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Capital police Wednesday launched an investigation into an alleged “attempt by 10-12 armed men” to abduct journalist Taha Siddiqui.

I was “beaten [and] threatened with death”, said Asad Hashim in a tweet.

Hashim, who accompanied Siddiqui to Koral Police Station, added that Siddiqui’s belongings were also taken away. “Siddiqui was piled into a car by some armed men but managed to escape by jumping out of the vehicle.”

Superintendent Police (SP) Dr Mustafa Tanveer confirmed that Siddiqui, who is the Pakistan bureau chief at World Is One News, approached police soon after the incident.

Siddiqui posted a message via journalist Cyril Almeida’s Twitter account, recounting the details of the kidnapping attempt.

He started the tweet by identifying himself and clarifying that he was using Almeida’s account.

Siddiqui went on to say: “I was on my way to [the] airport today at 8:20 am when 10-12 armed men stopped my cab [and] forcibly tried to abduct me.” SP Tanveer said that Siddiqui was in a private taxi when he was stopped by armed men.

In his post, Siddiqui added that he managed to escape the kidnapping attempt and that he was “safe and with the police now”.

“Looking for support in any way possible,” Siddiqui added, ending his tweet with the hashtag #StopEnforcedDisappearances.

Meanwhile, the Amnesty International said that attacks on Taha Siddiqui and other Pakistani journalists must be immediately and effectively investigated by authorities concerned.

“Journalists like Taha Siddiqui have a right to carry out their work freely and without fear,” Deputy South Asia Director at Amnesty International Omar Waraich said, adding that journalism is not a crime, but attacking journalists is.

“These crimes must be immediately and effectively investigated. All journalists should be provided the protection they require. And there must be a clear and unequivocal commitment by the Pakistani authorities to end impunity for attacks on journalists,” Waraich said.

In May last year, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had issued a notice to Siddiqui, known for posting comments on social media against the military, and asked him to appear before its counterterrorism wing.

Siddiqui had filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court alleging that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had harassed him over the phone.

In his petition, Siddiqui had alleged that a man named Noman Bodla, who identified himself as a member of the Counter Terrorism Department of the FIA, had called him and pressurised him for appearing for an ‘interrogation’ at the FIA Headquarters.

He had added in his petition that he “was reluctant to go to the FIA Headquarters on the basis that there have been several reports in the press where such phone calls are made and once the person who is to be interrogated sets out to the FIA Headquarters, he is either picked up and disappeared or detained illegally”.

Shortly after Siddiqui’s posted his message on Twitter, messages of support from journalists started pouring in. In November, the 2017 World Press Freedom Index had placed Pakistan among the most dangerous countries for journalists. Pakistan was ranked 139th out of 180 countries.

Published in Daily Times, January 11^th 2018.