Imran Riaz Khan
عمران ریاض خان
Khan in December 2023
Born (1975-08-14) 14 August 1975[1]
Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani
OccupationJournalist
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2020–present
GenreNews
Subscribers4 million[2]
Total views1.53billion[2]
100,000 subscribers2020
1,000,000 subscribers2021
Last updated: 17 April 2023

Imran Riaz Khan (Punjabi, Urdu: عمران ریاض خان born 14 August 1975, Faisalabad)[1] is a Pakistani journalist, anchor and YouTuber.

On 11 May 2023, Khan was reported to have been arrested by police while travelling in Pakistan. Media reports suggested that Imran's abduction may have been connected to him speaking out against the government and military. Given the context of enforced disappearances targeting critics, dissenters, and journalists in Pakistan, reports about Imran's situation raised concerns about his safety and well-being, including the possibility of mistreatment or even death as per reports. Human rights organisations such as Amnesty International requested for an urgent transparent and thorough investigation into his disappearance.[3][4][5]

Imran Riaz was recovered and reunited with his family on 25 September 2023, after over four months of disappearance.

Early life and education

He was born into a Punjabi-Kashmiri family on 14 August 1975 in Faisalabad, Punjab and after getting his early education at the Lahore Grammar School he studied mass communication at the Punjab University.[6]

Professional career

Khan in February 2023

He started his career as a crime reporter for a local newspaper.[6]

Later, he became a news anchor on Express News channel.[7] As a current affairs host he has also worked with the television channels GNN[8] and Samaa TV.[9]

He started his YouTube channel "Imran Riaz Khan" in 2020, which as of October 2022 has more than 3.48 million subscribers.[10]

Arrests

First arrest

While entering Islamabad Toll Plaza on 5 July 2022, he was driving to the federal capital to get bail from the Islamabad High Court[11] and was arrested when Punjab Police surrounded his car before he could pass out of Punjab jurisdiction,[12] despite being aware of court orders by the Islamabad[13] and Lahore High Courts,[7] and issuances of protective pre-arrest bail grants, intended to avoid an arrest of the journalist. Riaz later uploaded a video on YouTube stating that if he is not released, he will release the names of everyone who is behind the alleged regime change operation in which foreign influence provoked a constitutional crisis,[14] ultimately ending with the PTI government of Imran Khan being ousted, when the former Prime Minister was removed from office in what he calls an "American conspiracy" against the sovereignty of Pakistan.[15]

A day before his arrest, Riaz was critical of the Shehbaz Sharif-led government and uploaded a video to YouTube,[16] in which Dawn News said Riaz "directly addressed Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and alleged that he was threatened after asking questions from military sources about the country's current political and economic situation."[17] Riaz also indicated that his family is the target of threats.[16]

Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan strongly protested the "arbitrary arrest" and called on the public as well as the media to "unite and stand up against this fascism."[18] Former official Asad Umar stated that PTI party workers will stage protests at press clubs throughout the country for what he said is an "attempt to suppress freedom of expression".[11][13][7] Immediately following the arrest, reports[11] showed a wide condemnation of the treatment and expressions of concern stemming from similar ideological grounds favoring free speech, including that of academic and activist Ammar Ali Jan, who warned of the irrationality in "clumsy" uses of force in a "battle of ideas."[11]

He was released on bail on 9 July 2022, by Lahore High Courts' Judge Justice Baqar Najafi.[19] His name was added to the Exit Control List by the FIA on the request of the police.[20]

Second arrest

He was arrested again on 2 February 2023 on charges of "hate speech" and making a "violence-inducing statement" aimed at creating "a rift between the general public and the state institutions".[21] and was released a week later.[22]

Third arrest and disappearance

In the aftermath of the May 9 riots, he was arrested once again by Punjab Police on 11 May 2023 from Sialkot Airport. The police later stated that he was released from jail the same night despite a detention notice of 30-days.[23] After his release from jail, CCTV footage showed Riaz being abducted from outside the prison by 4–5 unidentified men who wore masks and forcibly put him inside a Toyota Vigo.[24]

The matter of his recovery is subjudice in a case filed at Lahore High Court (LHC). The Chief Justice of the LHC Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti heard the case. During a hearing on 22 May 2023, the police chief of Punjab, Usman Anwar appeared clueless about the missing journalists whereabouts and asked for more time from the court to locate him.[25] In another court hearing, Anwer said that no police station in Pakistan has Imran Riaz in their custody further stating that "No one has Imran Riaz (...) Imran Riaz Khan was not wanted by us. However, ‘agencies’ had asked for a police van. Why they had asked for a police van, [the court] can summon the agencies and ask." The agencies here being a euphemism for Pakistan's intelligence apparatus.[26]

On 27 May 2023, Daniel Bastard of the France-based global watchdog Reporters Without Borders said that it had received information from diplomatic sources that the missing journalist was tortured by in the custody of Pakistan's military intelligence agencies and may even have died in detention.[26]

On 30 May 2023, Usman Anwar claimed in court that Afghan SIMs were used by Imran Riaz's abductors and that the police was unable to trace them.[27] Anwer also informed the court that a special working group was established by Punjab Police to recover the missing journalist.[28]

On 25 September 2023, the Inspector General of Punjab Police Usman Anwar confirmed that Khan was now "safe at home" after having been missing for more than four months.[29] Khan had lost 22 kilograms (49 lb) weight during his disappearance and was struggling to speak coherently.[30]

References

  1. 1 2 Bhutto, Salima (6 July 2022). "Who is Imran Riaz Khan and why was he arrested?". MMNews. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  2. 1 2 "About Imran Riaz Khan". YouTube.
  3. ↑ Bilal, Rana (26 May 2023). "LHC directs 'all agencies' to work together to find anchorperson Imran Riaz". Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "Pakistan: Journalists missing amidst PTI crackdown". 26 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "Pakistan: YouTuber & TV anchor, Imran Riaz Khan, forcibly disappeared". 26 May 2023.
  6. 1 2 Tariq, Aamir (25 May 2023). "Imran Riaz Khan | Family | Age | Father & Wife [Complete Biography]". Daily Pakistan. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 "ExpressNews anchor booked for sedition on gutka seller's complaint". The Express Tribune. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  8. ↑ "Clash with Imran Khan – GNN Shows". GNN – Pakistan's Largest News Portal. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  9. ↑ Khan, Imad. "On the Wrong Side of the Government, Pakistani Journalists Turn to YouTube". CNET.
  10. ↑ Gutelle, Sam (22 April 2022). "YouTube and TikTok are changing the political landscape in Pakistan and Afghanistan". Tubefilter.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Asghar, Imran (6 July 2022). "Senior journalist Imran Riaz Khan arrested from Islamabad Toll Plaza". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  12. ↑ "Anchorperson arrested in Attock". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  13. 1 2 "Pakistan police arrest TV journalist on outskirts of capital". The Associated Press. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "ISPR, other state institutions endorsed NSC's decision, says Qasim Suri". The International News. 9 April 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  15. ↑ Goldbaum, Christina; Masood, Salman (2 April 2022). "Claiming No-Confidence Vote Is Compromised, Imran Khan Says He Won't Accept Result". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  16. 1 2 Journalist Imran Riaz Khan's talk with COAS Bajwa | Who Threatening his Family?, retrieved 6 July 2022
  17. ↑ Bilal, Rana (5 July 2022). "Journalist Imran Riaz Khan arrested near Islamabad". The Dawn. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  18. ↑ Desk, Web (6 July 2022). "Imran Khan asks people to protest against Imran Riaz's arrest". ARY NEWS.
  19. ↑ Hussain, Shahid (9 July 2022). "Imran Riaz Khan gets bail in Chakwal case". The International News. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  20. ↑ "Journalist Imran Riaz offloaded from Dubai-bound flight". The Express Tribune. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  21. ↑ "Anchorperson Imran Riaz detained in Lahore: lawyer". DAWN. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  22. ↑ Bilal, Rana (3 February 2023). "Lahore court orders release of TV anchor Imran Riaz Khan". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  23. ↑ "LHC seeks CCTV footage of anchorperson's release from jail". The Express Tribune. 13 May 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  24. ↑ Bilal, Rana (16 May 2023). "FIR of anchorperson Imran Riaz's 'illegal abduction' registered". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  25. ↑ "Court vows to 'spare no one' if harm comes to Imran Riaz". The Express Tribune. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  26. 1 2 "Where is the Pakistani TV anchor who has been missing for 12 days? | RSF". rsf.org. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
  27. ↑ Bilal, Rana (30 May 2023). "Afghan phone numbers involved in Imran Riaz case, Punjab IG tells LHC". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  28. ↑ Bilal, Rana (6 June 2023). "Lawyer says patience wearing thin as Punjab govt assures efforts under way to find Imran Riaz". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  29. ↑ "TV anchor Imran Riaz Khan 'safe at home' after being missing for over 4 months". DAWN. 25 September 2023.
  30. ↑ "Journalist explains health condition of Imran Riaz Khan". Global Village Space. 26 September 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
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