ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Army supports investigation into the alleged abduction of TV host and columnist Gul Bukhari in the Punjab capital city, the military spokesman said on Saturday.
The Director General of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asif Ghafoor told a group of reporters early Saturday that the army had no role in the incident and that the incident must be investigated.
“We have nothing to do with it. I think this incident should be investigated thoroughly,” Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/pakistan-gul-bukhari-kidnapped-journalist-asad-kharal-beaten-up-by-unidentified-men-near-lahore-airport/
Ghafoor said he had checked with every intelligence agency working for the army whether Bukhari had been detained by them shortly after the abduction was reported.
Unidentified men abducted Gul Bukhari, a dual Pakistani-British national, from Lahore’s cantonment area on June 5 when was on her way to appear in a TV show. She returned home after few hours.
Bukhari’s abduction had evoked strong criticism on social media and calls were made for investigation into the incident.
After her release, Bukhari, herself the daughter of a late army general, said on Twitter that she was well and asked for privacy.
https://twitter.com/GulBukhari/status/1004349431590907906
Bukhari, known for her critical views against non-democratic forces, is a contributing writer at The Nation newspaper.
In its Press Freedom Index 2018, media freedom watchdog, Reporters Without Borders ranked Pakistan at 139 among 180 countries, showing no improvement in comparison to 2017.
