Journalist Imran Riaz Khan has finally returned to his home after being ‘missing’ for almost five months. His lawyer says Riaz has lost weight during his ‘illegal detention’.
The real question is where was Imran Riaz Khan and who were the people that detained him, says Shahbaz Mian, a senior journalist from Lahore.
Talking on Naya Daur TV’s flagship show ‘Khabar Say Aagay (Beyond the Headlines)’, Shahbaz Mian said that the Sialkot police claimed to have ‘recovered’ him but made no mention of whom they recovered him from.
Journalist Azaz Syed also welcomed Imran Riaz Khan’s recovery and said that while he disagreed with Riaz’s point of view most of the times, nothing could justify his disappearance.
On the arrest of former First Lady Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband Khawar Maneka, Shahbaz Mian reported that the powerful Pakpattan landlord had illegally constructed a marriage hall on cemetery land.
He however doubted the intentions of Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE), saying this could be an attempt to tighten the noose around former First Lady’s neck.
Azaz Syed added that accusations of land grabbing against Khawar Maneka were not new. “We should not forget the Rizwan Gondal incident when the ex-husband of Bushra Bibi was stopped by police and in response, he had forced the Punjab government to transfer the police chief of the district”, Azaz added.
Also read: Meddling with the police – on dodgy grounds
A bizarre incident was picked up by electronic and social media. In short, the ex-husband of Bushra Imran was stopped by police and responded with insults and abuse. While there is nothing new about such behavior by well-heeled Pakistanis, what happened next flies in the face of the expectations created by the PTI during its long campaign against previous governments.
Pakpattan District Police Officer (DPO) Rizwan Gondal was ordered to go and apologize to Khawar Maneka, the ex-husband of the PM’s spouse. When the police official refused, he was transferred.
On Islamabad High Court’s order to transfer former PM Imran Khan to Adiala Jail from Attock, Azaz Syed said this was a good sign for Imran Khan. “Adiala Jail is the ‘Marriot Hotel’ of Pakistani jails. Most deals in Pakistan are finalised in jails, although there are no reports of Imran Khan meeting any powerful people inside the jail”, he added.
Raza Rumi hosts Beyond the Headlines Monday to Saturday 9 PM on Naya Daur TV.