Police finally admit to holding missing Baloch journalist

Reporters Without Borders condemns the behaviour of the authorities in the southwestern province of Balochistan in letting seven days go by before admitting that they were holding Rehmatullah Shaheen, a reporter for the Baloch nationalist newspaper Daily Tawar in Bolan District. Shaheen was reported missing on 8 December but it was only after a wave of protests that the local authorities finally acknowledged on 15 December that he had been arrested. Reporters Without Borders is also concerned about the disappearance of a radio station presenter in the northeastern city of Faisalabad. “Arresting and holding a journalist incommunicado for a week without notifying his family or lawyer is unacceptable,” the press freedom organisation said. “By acting in this way, the local officials are exceeding their authority and are violating the fundamental rights of the people they arrest. The authorities must now release Shaheen and explain why they kept his arrest secret.” Officials said Shaheen, 25, had been arrested under the Explosives Act in connection with the discovery of a grenade in his home and had been questioned on suspicion of “anti-state activities.” One official was quoted as saying: “The case was registered on 14 December, but the journalist was missing since 8 December.” Shaheen had received a summons from the police prior to his arrest. Meanwhile, Mast FM 103 reporter and presenter Abdul Wahab has been missing for a week in Faisalabad, His relatives, who reported his disappearance to the local authorities, fear that he has been kidnapped. His colleagues accuse the police of failing to investigate the case properly and have appealed to the prime minister to ensure that he is found quickly.