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Social activist Raza Mahmood Khan, who had been missing for the past seven months, has returned home, DawnNewsTV reported on Friday citing police officials.
Raza, a convener of Aghaz-i-Dosti — a friendship initiative between the youth of India and Pakistan — was reportedly picked up by men in plain clothes from his Model Colony residence on December 2, 2017.
Activists belonging to various rights groups, along with friends and family, had since been agitating for Raza's release. They had condemned the ‘enforced disappearance’ of activists and attempts to silence and harass those speaking up for peace and human rights.
Read: Silencing dissent
Mohammad Imran, SP Investigation Model Town, confirmed on Friday that Punjab police had recovered Raza 10 days ago. He, however, did not disclose further details about where Raza was found.
Raza is in good health, according to the police official, but is refraining from making a statement due to "security concerns".
'Missing' persons
International rights organisation Amnesty International, in a statement issued following Raza's disappearance, had demanded that the Pakistani government ensure the recovery of the Lahore-based activist.
"The Pakistani authorities must take all measures as may be necessary to investigate Raza Khan's fate immediately," Amnesty's Deputy South Asia Director Dinushika Dissanayake had said.
"Scarcely does a week go by without Amnesty International receiving reports of people going missing in Pakistan," Dissanayake had said. "Many of them may have been subjected to enforced disappearances, which is a crime under international law."
Many prominent incidents of disappeared social activists have come to light recently; earlier last year, the news of five activists going missing had elicited a strong response from activists in Pakistan and abroad.
Prior to that, Zeenat Shahzadi, a young journalist who was pursuing the case of an Indian citizen, went missing in 2015. Driven to despair, her younger brother had committed suicide.
Comments (11) Closed
When sane voices silenced a nation can never progress.
Great news for Raza Khan and his family, unfortunately these recovered persons don’t ever talk or go to media after they are recovered. Whoever ordered the enforced disappearance must be really insecure about themselves or their organization.
Will the chief justice now take suo motu notice, summon the activist before supreme court and find out who is behind this extra judicial abduction.?
You can rest assured that no one is going to be charged for kidnap and detention of Raza Khan for reasons known to all.
This is human rights violations and must be investigated by the UN.
Sane vs Insane voices is relative. What someone calls a sane voice may be insane for others. But people should be told why they are picked up and their family should be made aware. Their charges should also be made public. National Security is a serious issue for every country including western democracies. Individuals who come back from? Detention don’t talk about any ordeal that gives impression that they might be at fault to begin with.
A convenient time for agencies to return him back... just short of elections... wake up Pakistan
Hats off to Dawn for fighting the cause of missing persons. Please fight with same vigor the cause - return of missing billions of dollars. If the economy collapses everything will go missing.
Good luck making this poor man talk. He would be so scared and traumatised that he will not divulge any information about his abductors. Instead he will tell a made up story...
@Zia Rehman What a distorted logic?
Seems only body is recovered, not the soul. I think major stakeholders (family and men in plain clothes) will settle for that. Sad situation in our part of the world.