RAHIM YAR KHAN: Police booked under terrorism charges a Seraiki journalist and author Razish Liaqatpuri on charge of objectionable remarks against the government officers on the basis of language on Sunday.

The family of Razish and the journalist community of Liaqatpur alleged that he was taken into custody in a raid by police three days back. However, they kept him in illegal detection at an unknown place and did not show his arrest until Saturday night while no case was registered until Sunday. They alleged that Razish was being victimised for raising voice for the Seraiki language.

According to a first information report (FIR) registered with the City A Division Police Station, dated 25-01-2025, complainant Naib Tehsildar Ghulam Abbas saw some armed persons around the tehsil office on Saturday at 4pm making unusual movements.

He also saw a viral clip on Facebook in the presence of witnesses, gardawar Ghulam Yasin and tehsildar’s reader Aamir Tufail, whose title was “To murder Punjabi officers was legal-Razish Liaqatpuri- Mera Ishq Seraikistan” and it was shared by Razish on Razish Naama account. Liaqatpuri introduced himself in the post as former editorial in-charge of daily Khabrian and writer of several books.

He also highlighted his thoughts in the post using hate speech and immoral threatening language about the differences between two groups of different languages. He also issued the murder threats to the district administration.

After watching this clip, Ghulam Abbas himself and Ghulam Yasin, clerks Javed Akhtar and Sajjad, peon Fiaz and some other persons felt insecure. In that clip, Liaqatpuri and others were motivating a specific language community to take anti-state steps through lingual negativity, murder threats and arms.

The complainant called himself a patriotic Pakistani, requesting the police to get the clip removed from social media to avoid further situation of unrest. On the complaint, police registered a case against Liaqatpuri under sections of the Preventions of Electronic Crime Act, Punjab Maintenance of Public Order, Anti-Terrorism Act 1997-7 and Pakistan Penal Code.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2025