Case against Matiullah fabricated: PM's adviser

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah has said that the case against senior journalist Matiullah Jan is fabricated.

Talking to senior anchorperson Hamid Mir in Geo News show Capital Talk on Thursday, Rana Sana said: “I believe Saqib Bashir’s statement.”

“Whenever such FIRs are made, they are made with similar stories. The Islamabad inspector general of police needs to answer this, as he and his force are the complainant in the FIR,” the PM’s adviser said.

He said the FIR should have been on merit. “And the merit is that the people who made this fake story should be punished, and those tried to be punished should get freedom.”

Earlier, the federal capital police, in a controversial deed, lodged a first information report (FIR) against prominent journalist and YouTuber Matiullah Jan under the Anti-Terrorism and Anti-Narcotics Acts and involved him in other heinous offences under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and arrested him.

The police sources said that Matiullah and another journalist, Saqib Bashir, were picked up from the PIMS hospital on the night of November 26. Saqib Bashir was later released, while Matiullah remains under custody of the police. Matiullah was later shifted to the Margalla Police Station.

The FIR filed against Matiullah at the Margalla Police station said that the arrest was made in E-9 in contrast to the original reports of his abduction near PIMS. The FIR further alleges that the senior journalist was driving a white car at a high speed. When asked to stop by the security staff, he tried to run them over. He then allegedly snatched a guard’s gun and pointed it at him. The FIR also alleges that Matiullah was intoxicated at the time.

The FIR states that upon scanning the vehicle, a shopping bag containing 246 grams of ice was found in the car. Matiullah Jan has been booked under 7 ATA, 9(2) CNSA, 363, 186, 427, 506-II, 382, 411 and 279 PPC.

It is noteworthy that Matiullah previously shared a video on social media showing a Rangers official being run over by a vehicle in Islamabad. The journalist claimed the Rangers official was struck by his own vehicle. However, several Rangers officials later stated that a speeding vehicle driven by protesters ran over their colleague.

Matiullah had also claimed that PIMS officials were being pressurised not to report casualties in the operation against the PTI protest.

The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has expressed grave concern over the abduction and subsequent arrest of senior journalist Matiullah. PFUJ President Afzal Butt and Secretary General Arshad Ansari condemned the incident, urging Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to intervene and secure Matiullah’s immediate release.

The PFUJ demanded a swift and impartial investigation into the incident, ensuring accountability for all perpetrators. This incident raises concerns, given Matiullah’s previous abduction in 2020, which remains unpunished.

Butt and Ansari said it was not only Matiullah who was abducted or arrested. “Saqib Bashir was abducted along with Mati and set free later while in Lahore another journalist Shakir Awan has also been arrested.”

Such actions of the government cannot be tolerated, said the PFUJ leaders, demanding of the government to end this illegal and undemocratic practice of targeting journalists for merely performing their professional duties. The PFUJ leadership warned the authorities of countrywide protests if Matiullah Jan was not released.

The Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (Aemend) also condemned Matiullah’s arrest, calling the charges against him “absurd” and stating that these accusations represent a “new tactic against journalists”.

In its statement, Aemend said that the senior journalist was detained along with fellow journalist Saqib Bashir from the PIMS Hospital. “While Saqib Bashir was released shortly afterwards, Matiullah was transferred to Margalla Police Station, where he was formally arrested under a case.” The FIR accuses him of bizarre allegations such as seizing official weapons, threatening to kill and injuring a constable with a vehicle.

The association noted that these charges reflect ulterior motives, adding that previously, journalists faced false cases under cybercrime and other laws, which courts dismissed as baseless while implementing measures to protect journalists.

It highlighted that multiple incidents of “illegal detentions, threats, and pressure against journalists, including Matiullah Jan, are on record,” adding that these incidents portray the deteriorating state of freedom of expression in Pakistan.

Aemend emphasized that while the law applies to everyone, the repeated targeting of journalists shows that illegal actions are being disguised under the law to deprive the public of their right to information and to suppress free speech. It urged the government to stop “registering false FIRs, pressurising journalists and detaining them unlawfully”.