KARACHI: A day after his mysterious disappearance, civil rights campaigner and lawyer Jibran Nasir returned home safely on Friday evening, officials said.

South-SSP Syed Asad Raza confirmed that the lawyer had reached home. He said that a police team — formed to investigate the kidnapping case registered on the complaint of his wife, Mansha Pasha, against over a dozen unknown armed persons — would meet the lawyer and record his statement.

Earlier, rights organisations, lawyers’ groups, members of civil society and even the Sindh chief minister have expressed serious concerns over Mr Nasir’s disappearance.

CM Murad Ali Shah sought a report from the inspector general of police and directed him to take immediate measures for recovery of Mr Nasir.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) issued a statement, expressing its deep concern over Mr Nasir’s abduction by unknown armed persons. “We demand that he be safely recovered immediately and his abductors held accountable under the law,” the HRCP stated.

Police to record civil rights campaigner’s statement after his wife lodges kidnap FIR

The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and Sindh Bar Council (SBC) also condemned the kidnapping of Mr Nasir.

“Advocates have no affiliation with any political party and they only perform their professional duties and any political party and/or politician can engage them. Therefore, kidnapping/arrest of advocates while performing their professional duties in highly unjustified,” the PBC said, demanding that all arrested lawyers be released immediately.

Likewise, the SBC strongly condemned the enforced disappearance of Mr Nasir and said in a statement that it had been regularly receiving a number of complaints from across the province that hundreds of people were being abducted by unknown persons.

“It is a matter of great shame that lawyers are being abducted without any reason. The SBC calls upon the federal and provincial governments, especially the prime minister, to ensure safe return of the lawyer,” it said, urging the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the matter and take effective steps for the safe recovery of Mr Nasir.

Protest against ‘enforced disappearance’

Later in the evening, civil society organisations held a protest demonstration outside the Karachi Press Club against the ‘enforced disappearance’ of the lawyer and demanded his immediate release.

Carrying banners and his portraits, the protesters including a large number of women said that Mr Nasir was an ‘asset’ to the civil society.

They recalled that he had pleaded various public interest cases against influential persons including the extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud in a staged encounter; murder of Nazim Jokhio involving lawmakers belonging to the ruling party; and a child marriage case.

They also criticised a ‘cruel attitude’ meted and police tactics to delay the registration of a case against unknown persons.

Mr Nasir’s cousin Talha Rehman told the media that his family did not consider it a kidnapping-for-ransom case as 15 people did not abduct someone for just money.

Kidnapping FIR

The Clifton police on Friday registered a case under Sections 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code against over a dozen armed persons for kidnapping Mr Nasir near his DHA residence on Thursday night.

Complainant Mansha Pasha, the wife of Mr Nasir, stated in the FIR that on Thursday night she and her husband were returning home in their car and when they reached Khayaban-i-Tanzeem near Ideal Bakery at around 11:00am, a white Vigo hit their car.

She said a Toyota Corolla also hit their vehicle from behind and around 10-15 men armed took away her husband in their vehicle.

The SSP-South said that police were trying to obtain CCTV footage from other areas.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2023