KARACHI: A prominent businessman, Zulfiqar Ahmad, was abducted from the Maaripur Road area of Karachi on Thursday, according to his family.
Zulfiqar Ahmad was reportedly on his way to Clifton with his friend, Qaisar, after a meeting when they were stopped by eight individuals in a double-cabin vehicle. The abductors forced them into their vehicle and drove away.
After driving a short distance, the abductors released Qaisar, who then informed Zulfiqar’s family about the incident.
Zulfiqar’s family has filed a petition in court seeking his safe return. The court has summoned the Federal Ministry of Interior, the Sindh Home Department, and the Sindh Inspector General of Police to respond by July 30.
The petition, filed by Zulfiqar’s wife, states that his whereabouts are still unknown.
Earlier, police conducted a raid on the residence of Asad Iqbal Butt, Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in the Federal B Area of Karachi.
The raid was reportedly aimed at preventing Butt’s participation in a rally scheduled for July 28 in Gwadar, which was organized to protest against enforced disappearances. Rights activists and police sources have confirmed the incident.
A police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Butt was “detained” during the raid at his home.
The officer indicated that the detention was linked to the upcoming rally organized by the Baloch Yakjehi Committee (BYC). However, Butt was subsequently released later in the day.
According to HRCP member Prof Dr. Tauseef Ahmed, the Gulberg police, accompanied by policewomen, arrived at Butt’s residence around 1:30 pm.
They detained him and transported him to the Gulberg police station. At the station, Butt was questioned about his plans to attend the Baloch conference in Gwadar.
Dr. Tauseef and other rights activists arrived at the police station and worked to secure Butt’s release, which occurred around 4:00 pm. Dr. Tauseef confirmed that Butt was returned home shortly after his release.
In response to Butt’s detention, the HRCP issued a statement demanding his immediate and unconditional release.
The commission condemned the detention as “arbitrary” and suggested it was an intimidation tactic aimed at silencing human rights defenders.
The HRCP emphasized that such actions undermine the efforts of those advocating for human rights.
Additionally, organizers from the BYC reported that several of their workers had been detained by law enforcement agencies across Karachi since Wednesday.
