Legal fraternity, journalists, and politicians react to recovery of Imran’s lawyer

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PTI founding chairman Imran Khan’s lawyer Intezar Hussain Panjutha — who had been missing from October 8 — was recovered by the Punjab police last night, it emerged in the early hours of Sunday.

The party labelled the development as scripted and demanded that a first information report (FIR) be filed against the Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan, who claimed in the high court that Panjutha would be produced in court within 24 hours, suggesting he was aware of his whereabouts.

The PTI leader was recovered by police in Attock as his kidnappers were allegedly transporting him. Police later shifted him to the hospital.

Video of him sitting in a car while being tied up was widely shared on social media by PTI, showing the lawyer visibly shaken.

According to a statement issued by the District Police Office Attock spokesperson, the police had rescued Panjutha who was abducted for ransom by kidnappers.

The police department said that “negative propaganda” was being concocted by “vloggers” who claimed that Imran’s lawyer did not take his full name when asked by an officer to identify himself.

The vloggers — terming it as “drama” — claimed that it was the official in the video took Panjutha’s full name.

“After slowing down the video, it can be heard clearly that the abductee stated his full name,” the spokesperson said according to a statement on the police department’s Facebook page.

“Some people are just trying to defame the police by spreading negative propaganda,” the spokesperson said, adding that legal action was being initiated against YouTubers running negative campaigns against the police.

Here’s how the lawyers, politicians and journalists reacted to the recovery of the PTI founder’s lawyer:

‘Abduct, torture, leave by roadside — no question asked’

PTI Chairman Gohar Khan — while reacting to the recovery — questioned whether anyone would “ever take any such case to its logical conclusion”.

“You abduct, torture and then leave by [the] roadside and yet people say, ‘thank God, he is back’ — no question asked,” Gohar said in a post on X.

“Will any court ever hold anyone responsible or punish them for it?” Gohar said, adding that the recovery of Imran’s lawyer without any consequence for the abductors signified the downfall of human dignity and the rise of the “rule of might is right”.

“God bless our nation,” Gohar said.

‘No individual safe if courts overlook incident’

Former speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser — while reiterating Gohar’s stance on accountability for the abductors — called on the judiciary to exercise its authority and initiate a comprehensive investigation to determine who was responsible for the “abduction and the mistreatment” of the PTI lawyer.

“If the courts choose to overlook incidents of this nature today, then no individual will be safe tomorrow,” Qaiser said in a post on X.

“This issue will continue to spread unchecked, ultimately affecting all,” he added.

‘State-enforced disappearance’

Activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir said that abduction and torture were being “institutionalised in Pakistan”.

“Stop taking 240 million citizens for fools and don’t embarrass yourself further with these ill-scripted dramas,” Nasir said in a post on X.

Nasir, while pointing out the AGP’s commitment to the high court on Panjutha’s recovery, said that it was not just shameful but criminal to what extent the AGP and Punjab police had used to cover the “state-enforced disappearance” of Panjhuta.

‘Known to all’

Human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir said that a video like the one doing rounds on social media of Panjutha’s recovery would enrage people to come out onto the streets against the abductors who are “known to all”.

“Unless there is accountability of perpetrators, impunity for enforced disappearance will continue,” she said in a post on X.

“When will we say enough?” she added.

‘Familiar story’

Veteran journalist and TV show host Hamid Mir said that the lawyer’s face in pictures after he was recovered narrated the story of what happened to him that “everyone was familiar with”.

More reactions

PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja uploaded a video statement to X stating that the encounter in which Panjhuta was recovered was a “hoax”.

In a post on X, PTI MNA Meher Bano Qureshi alleged that Panjhuta was “kept under deplorable conditions and physically assaulted” by authorities.

The PTI demanded an independent investigation against those responsible for Panjhuta’s detention, calling on the Supreme Court to “take urgent notice of this rampant abuse of human rights”.

Journalist Matiullah Jan shared a copy of an Islamabad High Court order on X, which showed a statement from the Attorney General stating that Panjhuta would be recovered within 24 hours. “After this statement, who can believe the story about Intezar’s release?” Jan asked.