A Pakistani television host and leader of the Pakistan Awam Raj Tehreek, Iqrar ul Hassan, has allegedly been taken into custody from the Defence Housing Authority area of Lahore, his family said on Monday. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has not yet confirmed that it made an arrest, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
The family said they did not know why he was reportedly detained. They contacted the NCCIA police station but could not obtain any information about where he was or how the incident unfolded.
Family describes a night-time visit to their home
Iqrar’s wife, Farah Iqrar, said that a group of men came to their residence at night and demanded that her husband come outside. She said the household had been asleep when angry shouting from outside woke them, with threats to smash everything if he was not brought out.
Farah alleged that the men climbed over the boundary wall, pushed her and took Iqrar away. According to her, two men held him while others seized mobile phones, a laptop and CCTV cameras on their way out. She further claimed that her own phone was taken when she tried to film the episode.
Officials silent as whereabouts stay unclear
Officials had not offered any public account of the incident. The NCCIA has not issued an official confirmation of the arrest, leaving his current location uncertain.
A video showing Farah and other relatives comforting one another has circulated since the reported detention. Television anchor Waseem Badami also said that no information about Iqrar’s whereabouts had yet emerged.
