Islamabad, Pakistan – A missing poet. A desperate family. A powerful security device. And a court that attempts to decode conflicting claims to deliver justice. These are the ingredients of a case that has caught the attention of Pakistan this week.
Hours after Ahmad Farhad, who is also a journalist, went missing on the night of May 14, his family filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC), alleging that he had been “disappeared” outside his home in the capital. Islamabad, by the country's powerful spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), for its criticism of the authorities.
Pakistan's government has said Farhad is not in ISI custody. But on Tuesday, the court demanded that security forces produce Farhad within four days, warning that otherwise he could summon senior government officials for questioning.
So who is Farhad, how did he disappear, why is the court involved and what has it said, and what is Farhad's family saying?
Who is Ahmad Farhad?
Farhad, previously associated with several media outlets including Bol News, recently worked as a freelance journalist and frequently reported on the recent anti-government protests in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The 38-year-old, originally from Bagh district in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, is also known for his strong criticism of the country's powerful establishment, a euphemism for Pakistan's military.
Syeda Urooj Zainab, his wife, told Al Jazeera that her husband had said he was under pressure from government agencies for several months due to his alleged support for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who He is currently imprisoned on several charges which he denies. Pakistan's government and military accuse Khan's supporters of orchestrating a violent attack on state institutions in May 2023 after the former prime minister was arrested.
Zainab said her husband's fundamental loyalty was to human rights, not any party. “My husband has always defended human rights regardless of any affiliation. “He used to protest in support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) when they were under pressure from the establishment, and he has refused to change his principles,” she added.
The PMLN is the party of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his elder brother Nawaz Sharif, himself a three-time former Prime Minister. The PMLN, when it was in opposition and the PTI was in power between 2018 and 2022, accused the army of cracking down on it, just as the PTI under Khan has accused the security forces of doing so since 2022. The army has denied the accusations. of the PTI, and previously rejected the PMLN's accusations.
When did Farhad disappear and what was the reason?
Zainab says her husband of six years was returning home from dinner Tuesday night when four men grabbed him outside their front door and dragged him toward a car.
“It was after midnight on [May 15]”When four men, dressed in dark colored clothes, pushed him into a large all-terrain vehicle and they all sped away,” he said, adding that three other vehicles were also part of the group.
According to Zainab, her husband had told her about possible risks to her life due to his political comments and reporting on problems in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
“He had told me that his instincts tell him that his life could be at risk because of his comments about what is happening in his hometown. But he was clear in his view that the establishment has been persecuting him for a long time,” he said.
She added that two days after the alleged kidnapping, Farhad contacted her through her WhatsApp asking her to withdraw her petition in court in exchange for his recovery.
“I realized they were forcing him to send the message. He asked me to withdraw my request and return home. “He also said that he was absent on private matters, but it was clearly a forced statement,” she said.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), the country's leading human rights body, condemned Farhad's disappearance and demanded his urgent release.
The authorities must immediately release poet Ahmed Farhad. The HRCP demands that such abductions and arrests of those considered political dissidents come to an immediate end. There can be no compromises on artistic freedoms and freedom of expression.
— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) May 15, 2024
What has the court said so far?
The court, in its hearing on Monday, ordered the police to quickly find the missing poet, warning that otherwise it could summon the defense secretary to appear before it.
In its written order issued on Monday, the court also directed the police to “investigate the allegations with reference to the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) officials by recording the statements of the officials.” Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, the IHC judge hearing the case, has said the government needed to change people's perception of state institutions accused of kidnapping people.
But a Defense Ministry official informed the court on Monday that Farhad is not detained by the ISI. Additional Solicitor General Munawar Iqbal, representing the government, told the court on Monday that the intelligence agency was not holding Farhad captive and assured the judge that he would be found soon.
The judge had said in an earlier hearing that in case state authorities were unable to recover the missing poet, the court would summon the prime minister.
The country has a checkered history of enforced disappearances, with Pakistan's military and its intelligence agencies accused of orchestrating kidnappings of critics and politicians.
But Zainab, Farhad's wife, told Al Jazeera she was optimistic about her husband's return following the court's intervention.
