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November 30, 2024 – Pakistan –
Senior journalist and TV presenter Matiullah Jan was granted bail on November 30, 2024, by an Islamabad Anti‑Terrorism Court (ATC), along with a surety bond of PKR 10,000, following his arrest in a high-profile drug possession and terrorism case sparked three days earlier.
On November 27, investigative reports state that Jan and his colleague Saqib Bashir were seized by unidentified individuals in black uniforms from a hospital parking lot while probing alleged casualties during a protest by supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Bashir was released after three hours, but Jan remained missing until his appearance at the Islamabad ATC. The FIR lodged in Margalla Police Station accused him under multiple laws—including Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act—and alleged he rammed a police soldier, assaulted officers, snatched a rifle, and had 246 grams of methamphetamine at an Islamabad checkpoint.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had earlier suspended Jan’s two-day physical remand, converting it to judicial custody pending further proceedings. His legal team, including Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, argued that the charges were fabricated and remotely political in nature.
During the ATC hearing, Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra criticized sensational journalism, observed the erosion of professional ethics, and approved bail despite the prosecution’s objection.
International and domestic press freedom groups—such as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Amnesty International, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ)—strongly condemned Jan’s arrest and labeled the case a flagrant attempt to silence a critical journalist. They called for the dropping of charges and upheld his release as a pivotal step toward defending media freedom.
Jan described his release via a voice note to Arab News as a “significant victory for journalists” operating under immense political and institutional pressure
Reference –
https://www.nation.com.pk/30-Nov-2024/atc-grants-bail-to-journalist-matiullah-jan-in-narcotics-case
