Pakistan: RSF demands immediate release of journalist Ahmad Noorani’s brothers, forcibly disappeared in reprisal for his reporting
On 19 March in Islamabad, the capital, around twenty armed men abducted the two brothers of exiled journalist Ahmad Noorani shortly after the publication of his investigation into the nepotism of Pakistan’s army chief. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is outraged by this abduction, which is very likely an act of retaliation, and calls on the authorities to give information on the fate and whereabouts of the journalist’s brothers and ensure their immediate release.
At 1 a.m. on 19 March in Islamabad, the capital, around 20 armed men identifying themselves as police officers carried out a raid on the family home of Pakistani investigative journalist Ahmad Noorani, founder of the investigative website Fact Focus, who lives in exile in the United States. According to the journalist, “they were all masked and in civilian clothes, except for three or four individuals who wore uniforms similar to those of army commandos.” They confiscated all the phones and deleted videos taken by the family, then forcibly took the two brothers, both engineers, to an unknown location. Their relatives have had no news of them since. According to RSF, the local police have denied being behind the abduction.
The day before, Ahmad Noorani had published an investigation on his website into the army chief of staff, General Asim Munir, revealing he appointed some of his relatives without adequate qualifications to high-level posts. The journalist's sister, who was also present at the time of the abduction, claims that the kidnappers told the family they “should know why this was happening.”
The request for comment sent by RSF to the Minister of Information remained unanswered.
"The forced disappearance of Ahmad Noorani’s brothers, which appears to be a clear reprisal to intimidate and silence the journalist, is intolerable. Unfortunately, it’s just the latest example of a broader pattern of repression against critical voices in Pakistan. RSF calls on the authorities to shed light on the fate and whereabouts of the journalist’s two brothers, ensure their immediate release and bring those responsible for this outrageous act to justice.
Ahmad Noorani claims that the abductors are intelligence agents. The family’s lawyer Imaan Mazari told RSF that “the modus operandi of this kidnapping points to the intelligence agencies as the perpetrators.”
The journalist's mother filed a writ petition/habeas corpus petition with the Islamabad High Court on 19 March seeking the release of her two sons. Her lawyer decries the unjustified delays in the proceedings: the petition was fixed with an unprecedented delay of three days after great difficulty and till date, no FIR has been lodged. What’s more, the hearing for the family’s habeas corpus petition — which guarantees an illegally arrested person an expedited hearing before a judge — was pushed to 24 March as the court was waiting for “a written response from the police”.
The ongoing persecution of Ahmad Noorani
Ahmad Noorani, who has been exiled in the Unites States for five years, has been targeted several times by legal proceedings because of his journalism. He was recently targeted by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on 13 March, under the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), for spreading “false” and “misleading” information, after his posts on X (formerly Twitter) about the attack on a train in the province Balochistan. Moreover, his investigative website Fact Focus, known for its investigations into the corruption of army dignitaries and politicians, has been blocked by Pakistani authorities.
