Columnist,renowned analyst and a social activist Gul Bukhari returned home, hours after she was allegedly abducted by unidentified men in Lahore late Tuesday night.
Journalist Munizae Jahangir, quoting family, confirmed Bukhari had returned home safe and sound.“Gul Bokhari’s family confirms to me that she has returned home and is fine. The people who picked her up dropped her back again. Thank God!,” she tweeted.
Gul Bokhari, was picked by unidentified armed men from a highly secured area of Lahore, raising concerns for her safety.
Gul was on her way to participate in Waqt News talk show ‘2 V 2’ Tuesday night in a vehicle dispatched by the TV channel to bring her.
Men on four vehicles, some of them in some kind of uniform and all of them having veils on their faces, ordered the vehicle to stop.
They initially told the driver that they were from Excise department and wanted to check the vehicle registration.
Once they were in full control and had confirmed Gul’s presence, they forced her out, bundled into one of their own vehicles and fled away.
Since the incident happened in the Cantonment area, the ISPR was contacted by Waqt News administration for help and the military officials said they were looking into the incident.
Gul’s husband said he was contacting his lawyers and would register an FIR with the police after consulting them.
The news of her abduction spread unease among the media circles and civil society members expressed their concern on social media.
Renowned news analyst Mosharraf Zaidi in a tweet said, “Deeply disturbing to learn of @gulbukhari’s abduction. Her immediate safe recovery and a thorough investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators of this crime need to be of utmost priority for the authorities.”
PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz tweeted, “Extremely disturbing, worrisome news of @gulbukhari abduction. This is just cruel & worst kind of oppression. Sad day.”
PPP leader Aseefa Bhutto Zardari expressed her concern by saying, “Shocked by reports of Gul Bukhari’s abduction. Hope and pray she is recovered safe and sound.”
Senior journalist and television anchorperson Asad Kharal was reportedly attacked by ‘masked men’ near Allama Iqbal International Airport in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Confirming the incident to The Express Tribune, SP Cantonment Bilal Zafar said: “We have received a complaint of an incident claiming Kharal was tortured by unidentified men.” he said.
The anchorperson was on his way home from the airport when his vehicle was intercepted. He was taken out from the car and assaulted. Kharal was then moved to Lahore Services Hospital for medical treatment.
Kharal confirmed the incident in a tweet on micro-blogging site Twitter.Some news reports claim that Kharal, who had been highly critical of the previous government, was attacked allegedly by men affiliated with the former ruling party. However, Kharal is yet to accuse anyone for the attack.
