LAHORE: Police on Saturday register a kidnap case against unidentified suspects as a Canadian national pursuing doctoral research allegedly went missing in Lahore three days ago.

The Defence A Police Station registered the case on the complaint of Yousif Rasheed, a friend of Canadian citizen Hamza Ahmad.

Hamza had arrived in Pakistan to work on his PhD thesis on Feb 13 and was staying with Rasheed in DHA Phase 10. The complainant stated that Hamza left the house between 1am and 2am on Feb 19 after booking a ride to go somewhere and did not return. He said his friends were unable to trace his whereabouts despite searching for him on their own.

The FIR states that unidentified persons might have kidnapped him and requests legal action against those responsible.

Lahore DIG Operations Faisal Kamran confirmed to Dawn that a kidnap case had been registered against unidentified suspects and that efforts were underway to recover the missing scholar.

“We do not know at this stage who might have kidnapped Hamza or whether he went missing under any other circumstances,” the DIG said, adding that police were making all-out efforts to trace him.

The officer went on to say that the motive behind the alleged kidnapping was still unknown.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed grave concern at the incident.

In a press release, the commission stated that it was deeply troubled by reports that Hamza Ahmed Khan, a political science student at the University of Toronto, had gone missing while conducting field research in Pakistan.

The HRCP urged the authorities to immediately trace his whereabouts and ensure his safe recovery.

Academics, political activists and social media users also expressed concerns at the incident.

Political activist and Haqooq-e-Khalq Party office-bearer Ammar Ali Jan also posted on X, stating that he had recently met Hamza in Lahore. He described him as a PhD scholar from Canada who works on anti-imperialist politics, saying that, “Yesterday, Hamza was abducted in Lahore. This regime is waging a relentless attack on dissent.”

The Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan also commented on X, saying that the right to pursue academic research and expressing scholarly views were fundamental in a democratic society. It added that silencing researchers through harassment or forced absence undermines intellectual freedom would weaken institutions, and that Hamza deserved fairness, safety, and the opportunity to continue his academic work without fear.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2026