A student leader from Pakistan-administered Kashmir has reportedly been subjected to enforced disappearance after being taken into custody in Lahore.
Mujeeb Akbar, Deputy Secretary General of the Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF), was allegedly detained on Friday, 17 July, at around 2pm from his flat in Education Town on Wahdat Road, Lahore.
According to his wife, Faiza Khan, several men arrived at their residence and took Mujeeb Akbar away. She said that after she answered a knock at the door, at least five personnel forcibly entered the flat. Two of them were armed and dressed in black uniforms, while the others were in plain clothes and identified themselves as officials from a government agency.
Faiza Khan said the personnel also confiscated Mujeeb Akbar’s mobile phone and laptop before escorting him on foot to a nearby road, where an ambulance was waiting. She alleged that he was placed inside the ambulance and taken away. According to her, the vehicle did not display a number plate.
She said she later submitted an application at the relevant police station, but no First Information Report (FIR) had been registered at the time of writing. After she contacted the police emergency helpline, officers visited the scene and obtained CCTV footage, which she said showed personnel taking Mujeeb Akbar away while an ambulance followed behind.
Faiza Khan called on the police and relevant law enforcement agencies to ensure her husband’s immediate recovery. She said that if there were any allegations against him, he should be produced before a court in accordance with the law, adding that detaining any citizen without due judicial process was unconstitutional and unlawful.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF) issued a statement calling for Mujeeb Akbar’s immediate and unconditional release.
The organisation said that Mujeeb Akbar had been actively involved in the ongoing movement for public rights in Jammu and Kashmir and alleged that this was the reason for his detention.
The statement further claimed that several political and social activists from Jammu and Kashmir had previously been subjected to alleged enforced disappearances in Islamabad and other cities across Pakistan. According to the organisation, some individuals were later handed over to the Jammu and Kashmir Police following court orders, while the whereabouts of others remain unknown.
JKNSF demanded the immediate recovery and release of Mujeeb Akbar, along with all other individuals who it says have been subjected to enforced disappearance.