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'Missing' journalist Zeenat Shahzadi recovered after more than 2 years
Zeenat Shahzadi, the journalist who went missing in Lahore in 2015, has been recovered by security forces, officials said on Friday.
Retired Justice Javed Iqbal, head of the missing persons commission, confirmed Shahzadi's return while speaking to BBC Urdu. She was recovered on Wednesday night from near the Pak-Afghan border, Iqbal said.
The newly appointed National Accountability Bureau chief said that some non-state actors and enemy agencies had kidnapped her and she was recovered from them, adding that tribal elders in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa played an important role in her recovery.
Shahzadi's family has yet to issue a statement.
Shahzadi, who raised her voice for disappearance of victims, went missing in August 2015 while on the trail of an Indian citizen Hamid Ansari reported to have been caught by Pakistani agencies. She had filed an application with the Supreme Court’s Human Rights Cell on behalf of Fauzia Ansari, Hamid's mother.
Read: Any hope for Hamid & Zeenat?
According to one version, Hamid was pursuing a Pakistani woman whom he had befriended on the Internet.
The application was accepted and forwarded to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances.
A few months later, news surfaced in a section of the media, saying that Hamid had been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment on charges of espionage. According to some rights campaigners, Hamid has served his sentence and ought to be set free now.
Human rights activist Hina Jillani, in a 2016 interview with BBC Urdu, alleged that Shahzadi had once told her family that she had been "forcibly taken away by security agencies", detained for four hours and questioned about Hamid.
The disappearance of Shahzadi hit headlines once again in 2016 when her brother, Saddam Hussain, committed suicide in March that year. His elder brother, Salman, had told Dawn that the teenage boy was emotionally attached to his missing sister and very much disturbed by her mysterious disappearance.
Comments (88) Closed
Welcome back brave heart! World needs people like you. God bless.
A good news. However, all missing persons need to be recovered. Nobody deserves to be disappeared.
Thanks to those who helped her recovery. Fighting for the truth is always difficult. God Bless this brave lady.
Its great news but by now we are pretty sure who took her. Missing people show a state within a state which believe it is above law.
@From US thank you
What is going on in this country, no one has got any clue.
Those responsible for her abduction should be punished.
Zeenat shahzadi long live people like you, who dare stand up to injustices at the risk to self.
She is a brave woman. The world is a better place because of people like her.
Congratulations to all those who assisted in Zeenat's recovery. Bring to justice all those involved in abduction irrespective of whoever they are.
Thanks to all who help her but it's still mistery what happened to her all these years & we still hope nothing wrong happened to her.
She has to tell her true story without any fear.
very sad to know of her brother suicide. on the other hand glad to hear she is home
His younger brother commuted suicide. Who will be responsible for that? I hope and pray they rot in hell.
I would love to hear what she has to say
Thank God , everyone deserves free life.
No body know and reporting real truth! If even if know, they? will not report!
Good news but those who recovered her did not say who the abductors were? Sometimes firefighters are also the arsonists.
@Syed Jafri - She has to tell her true story without any fear.
For that she will have to leave the country with her family.
Stay strong you are righteous and will prevail.
@Zain Hasan Ameen
Pakistani security people or who ever is responsible for this should be brought to justice.
It awesome that the brave lady has been found and freed. But there are so many unanswered questions about the disappearance that need to be answered. It would take her ages to recover from the trauma she has gone through while standing up for the truth. I wish her all the strength.
Thanks GOD she is back. Sorry for her little brother.
I am really surprised by this report in Dawn as it does not say any thing about the agency who abducted her and what is law in Pakistan for such act....... who is responsible and what about the abductors..... is this allowed..... we as people of Pakistan need answers otherwise this is looks like law of Jungle.
Only in Pakistan that a citizen is imprisoned by the Governemnt agencies without rule of law. It is really surprising that Pakistan could rescue the US and Canadian hostages held in Pakistan within hours of receiving ultimatum From USA. Shameful government agencies
The news of her brother's demise must be an even bigger tragedy for her. Wish she bravely face all sorrows. Time is a great remedy.
If she ever comes to India we will welcome her with open arms, she is one of us. Thank you. God bless you child.
Thank God she has been recovered. Its hard to believe any "enemy agencies" kidnapped her. Why? She was in the trail of a person picked up by our own secret agencies so its obvious they are also the ones to kidnap her. Its a true shame we live in a country where our own defence and security personnel are making our own citizens disappear. The pathetic courts seem to have no powers at all to order the recovery of all these Pakistanis.
Shame on us as a country and those who call themselves guardians of Pk then end up causing these enforced disappearances. A life was lost because of her captivity and her family must have lived in a complete nightmare. Is this how you treat people who find your dirty secrets !!!
Thrilled to know that Zeenat Shahzadi has been recovered, and happy for her and her family/friends. Yet it is agonizing to see that no categorical disclosure has been made regarding who kidnapped her and kept her hidden for 2 whole years. Surely the authorities who recovered her are in the know, so why are they hiding it? Who are they protecting? Is it some government agency or their assets? The country and the world at large, have the right to know what is going on here wouldn't you say?
Disappearance of citizens is a deep Human rights issue. It is not about how many disappeared, but the fear of being taken away in every mind and heart all the time. Troubling.
I will be surprised if she is not broken. no one can bear an ordeal such as hers. barbaric people operating with impunity are not only responsible for kidnapping but also for her brothers death.
Mysteriously disappeared and appeared, but nobody knows what happened.
Recovered, but probably broken in body and soul & spirit. The use of non state actors, to silence the voices of reason, is a henious crime by the usual perpetuators in power. Sad, very sad.
People like you always remember for your brave act without that boundary... Human rights will always be respected...by the state
Somebody has to come up about her ordeal. When a US national recovers all of institutions try to claim victory same they should do now she is Pak. national be proud of our self and come clean.
sorry for your trouble and loss of your lil brother.
I feel very sad for her. She will never be what she used to be once. And her countrymen are more interested in what's happening to their east.
@From US missing people,and their miraculous recovery , both confirm the existence of a deep state that controls the affairs. For now, one can assume that the US pressure is working positively
Please for God sake, spare ladies. How she survived is only known to her.
Most respectful saute to you. I cannot believe such a good person still exist on this earth.
My heart goes to her family too.
Accountability Bureau ! have you mean or menace to distorting the word. Go should be grace upon him, humanless office bearer, or limitation by super boss
Sad to know about her brother. Happy to know she is found and fine.
It’s refreshing to see that some missing persons actually come back in Pakistan . Hostage taking , intelligence based abductions and ransom holding is rampant but now on a decline . Institutional support is weaning and with the drones circling getting riskier for some to be alive . I applaud the military for positive changes in the secret agencies including limiting impunity and indemnity. Accountability is key for any institution to flourish with the spy agencies being no exception.
Trump effect.
I know it is so painful that people are kidnapped in the broad day light and their loved ones even can't report an FIR at the police station. I know it is heartbreaking to hear what the victims' families go through during their disappearance. But what bothers me most is the revelation that there are so many TV anchors and a lot of people who support the kidnappers. Such anchors' TV programs have the highest number of audience. Those who don't believe me , I will ask them to notice how many Urdu newspaper have written about this news as the TITLE news as DAWN did ?
They have the power to make people disappear but no courage to come forward and own the deed which means they are sane enough to know they are wrong still refuse to discontinue the wrongdoing confirming the presence of a willful criminal intent.
Power and criminal intent are a dangerous and volatile mix destined to destroy it all.
Many journalists had enough personal connections and clout to have secured her release day one.
A system is in place to make an example of and of sending out effective messages.
Being a woman does not make a journalist immune to disappearing.
And the ordeal has to be endured in silence!
Her kid brother would have been alive.
No ifs and buts--no exceptions!
Unfortunately no one can bring Saddam back. May his soul rest in peace Ameen.
@John she has to tell her true story without fear, than why she shud leave the country?
'Missing' journalist Zeenat Shahzadi recovered after more than 2 years.
Was someone afraid of her and hence kidnapped her?
My heart goes out to her. They wanted to silence her, hope they failed in that endeavor. One wonders if her brother's suicide was also staged by the same perpetrators.
Stay strong Zeenat Shahzadi!
@Qureshi (USA) Your assumption is more likely the truth.
Pakistan was elected on human rights body of UN. So by that logic Pakistan cannot be the one abusing human rights of its own citizens. Or most likely more like an elephant's teeth.
May be she spoke against the powerful narrative and hence she was kidnapped to silence her voice and teach her a lesson to agree to the powerful narrative.
It breaks my heart to hear of her brother's suicide. What a wonderful bond of love between them, at a time we keep hearing of brothers killing their sisters in the name of "honour".
Welcome to the club.
How very strange? Do people use their heads? Majority do not. How do we know? They prove it by their deeds. People who do not use their heads, if they can, build palaces. What for? To leave it here when they go. People who use their head build palaces where they will live for ever e.g. A S Edhi and his likes i.e. good doers. How many people use their head and prepare for what is to come their way? Not many as we all can see. How many people realise and remember that one day, whether they believe it or not, they like it not, will be hauled before a Supreme Judge and handed down Judgement for what they have been doing all their life in this world. Looking at what people do today, one can speculate that many will never come out of Hellfire. So O' Lord help us realise our faults before we make it. Amen.
Welcome home .Proud daughter to Pakistani nation.
She is a Bold Lady.
Some may think that she was foolish to take on the powerful narrative, but some may praise her for her boldness of taking on the powerful narrative.
An extremely welcome news. This should encourage on both the accounts: a) Raising voice against injustices; and b) Keeping an eye on state's repression against the tiny sector of keeping the nation alive.
wonderful but the culprits must be caught and punished .she is a brave young girl all pakistani and people around the world should be proud of her .it is the the spirit of people like her which gives the world hope and courage.hats off to her .i hope and wish that no harm has come to her .
My salute to the brave lady. God bless her!
Yes suerly if she want to tell truth she will have to leave the country with her family.
What pluck! What a girl! If I had half her courage, I would have been ruling over the earth! Salute, Zeenat! May God keep you safe, happy and healthy. Amen!
It is not difficult to understand the immense pain, this young lady must be going through now after coming to know that wait for her return was too long and the gleam of hope was too dim for her brother who could not sustain with it after a certain point. May God bless Zeenat Shahzadi and give peace to the soul of her brother, Saddam Hussain.
Where is rule of law, has anyone got the courage to touch the people behind forced dusappearances. We have become a banana republic.
@Leo She was in Pakistan all the while. So there's nothing to welcome her back to. But instead probe on why journalists are being abducted.
Release all missing persons from every nook and corner of country, specially Sindh and Baluchistan.
I salute this brave journalist. I hope she continues her career in journalism so that more people would follow her path, thus bringing success and prosperity to Pakistan.
It is not difficult to understand the immense pain this young lady must be going through now after coming to know that wait of her return was too long and gleam of hope was too dim for her younger brother who could not bear it after a point. Deep respect for her deeds and sacrifices, she made. "May God bless Zeenat Shahzadi and give peace to the soul of her brother Saddam Husain".
Such nobility of purpose in one so young. Such blackness in the hearts of those who abduct and imprison innocent people.
question is who abduct her ? does any one has valour to speak against them :)
Disappeared. There are many thousands like you. Lucky
Don't know how she must have been treated..God help her..payers for her welbeing
amazing
@Vns that is because of US pressure...
Outcomes of, to be outspoken and honest in Pakistan.
Welcome Back Shazadi
@Rajnath Babu
Perhaps you should first try to recover the missing Sikhs in Punjab and welcome them before you welcome someone abducted across the border.
so what were the terms proposed by abductors to release you ?
Is is very tragic to know that her innocent brother committed suicide for her disappearance.
Thank God, she is back and I'm sure everyone knows who was behind her forced disappearance.
Shame on Pakistan's most powerful and notorious institution! I pray those responsible suffer a fate worse than this!
Hats Off Brave lady........ fighting against fake arrests and false cases is a tough Job. You are brave enough ...... to the hell and back. The family of the poor Indian will always pray for your well being.....