A local court on Wednesday approved a two-day physical remand of journalist Waheed Murad- who was allegedly abducted from his residence before being handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the 24NewsHD TV channel reported on Wednesday.
During the hearing, Murad told the court that police had broken into his house and forcibly took him away, adding that his mother-in-law was also assaulted during the raid.
“Just 20 minutes ago, I was handed over to the FIA,” he stated before the court. Murad’s lawyer, Iman Mazari, revealed that he had filed a petition seeking protection from illegal detention. She questioned why a journalist was being subjected to physical remand. “Journalism has become a crime in this country,” argued lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha. The FIA informed the court that Murad was arrested last night for allegedly posting content related to the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan on social media. They requested a 10-day remand to recover his mobile phone and investigate his X and Facebook accounts. Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah, after hearing arguments, reserved his verdict and later approved a two-day physical remand, directing the FIA to present Waheed Murad again after the completion of the remand period.
Earlier, a petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for the recovery of missing journalist Waheed Murad from his residence in Islamabad.
According to the channel report, the petition was filed by advocates Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha on behalf of missing journalist Waheed Murad’s mother-in-law, Abida Nawaz.
In the petition, the Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Defence, Inspector General of Islamabad Police, and Station House Officer (SHO) of Karachi Company Police Station were made parties.
The mother of the abducted journalist said in her petition, "At 2 am [March 26, 2025], people dressed in black uniforms came to the journalist's house in Sector G-8. Two police vehicles were also seen with them [the black uniform people]. People dressed in black uniforms forcibly took Waheed Murad away; the people who came to our house also misbehaved with me."
It is requested in the petition that she tried to file a complaint of her son's kidnapping in the Karachi Company Police Station, but a case was not registered. She appealed to the court that an order should be made to recover Waheed Murad immediately and action should be taken against those who took him away illegally.
According to the APP, a journalist in Pakistan was kidnapped from his home in Islamabad on Wednesday, his family and lawyer said, the latest assault on press freedom in the South Asian country.
More than a dozen people stormed the house of Muhammad Waheed Murad, a multimedia journalist at Saudi-owned Urdu News, taking him away, his mother-in-law said in a video statement.
Murad has previously criticised the role of Pakistan's powerful military, which analysts say is deeply involved in the country's politics and economy.
"Around 20 unidentified individuals stormed the house around 2:00 am (21:00 GMT) and forcibly took him away without presenting any (arrest) warrant," Abida Nawaz said. Murad's lawyer filed a petition Wednesday at Islamabad's high court alleging unidentified officials "presumably from intelligence agencies" arrived in double-cabin trucks that they typically use.
"The pattern of his abduction was the same as in the past," Imaan Mazari told AFP. "The abductors, their modus operandi, and the way they stormed the house in the dead of night make it clear who they are." Pakistani journalists have reported rising state censorship in recent years, and the public has shifted to consuming much of its news from social media.
The latest kidnapping came after Farhan Mallick – founder of Pakistani internet media channel Raftar – was arrested last week on charges of "anti-state posts and fake news" under toughened legislation.
It came in the same week the brothers of exiled journalist Ahmad Noorani were kidnapped from their family home after he wrote about the growing influence of the powerful military chief's family.
Islamabad has been criticised by watchdogs for restricting internet access, including temporary bans on YouTube and TikTok, while X remains officially blocked.
The criminalisation of online disinformation has spread fear in Pakistan, with journalists among those worried about the potentially wide reach of the law.
Pakistan is ranked 152 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' press freedom index.