DigiMAP Calls for Quashing of FIR Against Matiullah Jan

News Desk 

Islamabad: The Digital Media Alliance of Pakistan (DigiMAP), along with senior journalists and human rights activists, on Saturday strongly condemned the registration of a fabricated drug trafficking case against senior journalist Matiullah Jan and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the FIR.

In a joint statement, the signatories described the case as a deliberate attempt to silence one of Pakistan’s most outspoken and courageous voices in journalism.

They said Jan’s abduction on November 28, 2024, from the parking area of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital in Islamabad and his subsequent illegal detention were part of a broader pattern of intimidation aimed at suppressing press freedom and obstructing investigative journalism.

“We are deeply concerned that even after nearly a year, the Islamabad police remain insistent on pursuing this baseless case instead of upholding press freedom,” the statement read. “The charges are entirely fabricated and must be quashed without delay.”

The statement was endorsed by several prominent journalists and rights advocates, including Hussain Naqi, Zahid Hussain, Farhatullah Babar, Mustansar Javaid, Anwar Iqbal, Ali Ahmad Khan, Mazhar Abbas, Amir Wasim, Sabookh Syed, Dr. Nazir Mahmood, Dr. Tauseef Ahmed Khan, Nasir Zaidi, Asmatullah Niazi, Shahzada Zulfiqar, Munizae Jahangir, Sohail Sangi, Nasir Malik, Adnan Rehmat, Iqbal Khattak, G.N. Mughal, Waris Raza, Habib Khan Ghori, Fouzia Shahid, Lala Asad, Lala Rehman, Saleem Shahid, Ayub Jan Sarhandi, Shafiq Awan, Abdul Sattar, Mohammad Riaz, Azaz Syed, Ayub Malik, and Dr. Shafqat Munir.

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The statement noted that Matiullah Jan was investigating police firing on PTI protesters near D-Chowk, Islamabad, on November 24, 2024, when he was abducted. The FIR, filed at 2:30 a.m. — just hours after his abduction at 11:30 p.m. — raised serious questions about the credibility and motives behind the case.

“The unusual speed at which the FIR was registered — something rarely seen in police procedures — reinforces suspicions that this case is politically motivated and intended to silence critical journalism,” the statement added.

It further observed that Jan’s abductors neither made demands nor seized his journalistic material, suggesting that the incident was designed solely to intimidate and obstruct his work.

DigiMAP President Sabookh Syed termed the case against Matiullah Jan as part of a “dangerous pattern of harassment and intimidation” targeting independent journalists in Pakistan.

“Such fabricated charges are a direct attack on media freedom and an attempt to discourage investigative journalism,” he said. “We call upon the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, and the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court to urgently address this matter and order the immediate quashing of the false FIR.”

He added that ensuring journalists’ safety was not merely a professional concern but “a test of our collective commitment to democracy, accountability, and the public’s right to know.”

DigiMAP reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to press freedom and urged the government to guarantee the safety, dignity, and independence of all journalists in Pakistan.