
Journalist kidnapped in Pakistan capital, says family
A journalist in Pakistan was kidnapped from his home in Islamabad on Wednesday, his family and lawyer said.
More than a dozen people stormed the house of Muhammad Waheed Murad, a multimedia journalist at Saudi-owned Urdu News, taking him away, his mother-in-law said in a video statement.
"Around 20 unidentified individuals stormed the house around 2.00am (21:00 GMT) and forcibly took him away, without presenting any (arrest) warrant," Abida Nawaz said.
Murad's lawyer filed a petition on Wednesday at Islamabad's high court alleging unidentified officials "presumably from intelligence agencies" arrived in double-cabin trucks that they typically use.
"The pattern of his abduction was the same as in the past," Imaan Mazari told AFP.
"The abductors, their modus operandi, and the way they stormed the house in the dead of night make it clear who they are."
The latest kidnapping came after Farhan Mallick — founder of Pakistani internet media channel Raftar — was arrested last week on charges of "anti-state posts and fake news" under toughened legislation.
It came in the same week the brothers of exiled journalist Ahmad Noorani were kidnapped from their family home.
Islamabad has been criticised by watchdogs for restricting Internet access, including temporary bans on YouTube and TikTok, while X remains officially blocked.
The criminalisation of online disinformation has spread fear in Pakistan, with journalists among those worried about the potentially wide reach of the law.
Pakistan is ranked 152 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders' press freedom index.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Middle East Eye
4 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
US embassy in Iraq prepares for partial evacuation ahead of Iran talks
The US is reducing staff levels at its embassy in Iraq on security concerns, US officials told several media outlets on Wednesday, as Iran threatened US bases if conflict breaks out. "Based on our latest analysis, we decided to reduce the footprint of our mission in Iraq," a US official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Meanwhile, The Financial Times reported that US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth authorised the voluntary departure of military dependents throughout the Middle East. The withdrawals come as Iran's defence minister, Aziz Nasirzadeh, said on Wednesday that Tehran would target US military assets in the region in response to any attack 'without hesitation'. "God willing, things won't reach that point, and the talks will succeed," he said, adding that the US side "will suffer more losses" if it came to conflict. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to negotiate a new nuclear deal to replace the 2015 accord that US President Donald Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. The next round of talks is scheduled for Thursday. 'Ordered departure from US Emb Baghdad could reflect a major threat, but also is impactful as a means of signaling possible near-term military action against Iran. It's a big move, hard to reverse quickly, comes at some cost. So if signaling, you play this card when you mean it,' Daniel Shapiro, the US's former ambassador to Israel, wrote on X. Shapiro added that it doesn't "necessarily" mean military action is imminent but said that the move provides "important leverage in nuclear talks". Trump had previously expressed optimism about the talks, saying during a Gulf tour last month that Washington was "getting close" to securing a deal. But in an interview published on Wednesday, Trump said he was "less confident" the US and Iran could reach a deal, in response to a question on whether he believed he could stop Tehran from enriching uranium. "Something happened to them, but I am much less confident of a deal being made... Maybe they don't wanna make a deal, what can I say? And maybe they do. There is nothing final." Trump maintained that Washington would not allow Tehran to obtain nuclear weapons, saying that "it would be nicer to do it without warfare, without people dying'. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Monday. Trump says he had been holding back Netanyahu from launching preemptive strikes on Iran. Oil prices jumped almost four percent on Wednesday amid the tensions.


Gulf Today
5 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Austrian police search for answers after mass shooting in school
Austrian authorities were seeking clues on Wednesday to why a 21-year-old gunman shot dead 10 people in a rampage at his former high school before killing himself, one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's modern history. Police said the man acted alone, armed with a shotgun and a pistol. They are scouring his home and the internet to understand why he opened fire on the school in Austria's second city of Graz on Tuesday, before shooting himself in a bathroom. The incident was hard to take in, said a religious studies teacher at the school, Paul Nitsche, who left his classroom before the gunman tried to enter, and briefly saw him trying to shoot the lock off another door. "This is something I couldn't even imagine before," he told national broadcaster ORF. "That's what the situation was like as I ran down the stairwell. I thought to myself: 'This wasn't real.'" Some Austrian media have said the young man, who has not been identified, apparently felt bullied, though police have yet to confirm this. Authorities said the suspect did not complete his studies at the school. Police work near a school where several people died in a shooting. Photo: AFP Police said he left a farewell note that did not reveal the motive for the attack and that a pipe bomb found at his home was not functional. Ennio Resnik, a pupil at the school, said students and teachers needed time to come to terms with what had happened, and asked that they be left in peace for a few days. "It's surreal, you can't describe or really understand it," he said, speaking to reporters outside an events centre near the school where students were being offered counselling. Some of the students gathered there cried, while others held each other. SECOND SCHOOL THREATENED Franz Ruf, director general of public security, said investigations into the motive were moving swiftly. Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker (centre) attends a memorial service. "We don't want to speculate at this point," he told ORF on Tuesday night. Police were on the alert for potential copycat attacks and they had received a threat against another school in Graz late on Tuesday, he said. In the earlier attack, about 17 minutes elapsed between the first emergency calls received by police about shots being fired at the school and the scene being declared safe, Ruf said. Austria has one of the most heavily armed civilian populations in Europe, says the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project. The attack sparked calls for its gun laws to be tightened, including one from Graz's mayor. Police said the guns used were in the suspect's possession legally, and Ruf said that while Austrian gun laws are strict, the case was being looked into. "If there are any loopholes, they need to be closed," he said. People light candles at a makeshift memorial site. Details of the attack have emerged slowly. Police said victims were found both outside and inside the school, on various floors. About a dozen people were injured in the attack, some seriously. Austria declared three days of national mourning, with the shootings prompting a rare show of solidarity among often bitterly divided political parties. Parents of pupils and neighbours of the school struggled to make sense of the event. Hundreds came together in Graz's main square on Tuesday evening to remember the victims. Others left flowers and lit candles outside the school. Dozens also queued to donate blood for the survivors. Reuters


Al Etihad
6 hours ago
- Al Etihad
Rulers of Emirates offer condolences to Saudi King on passing of Prince Faisal bin Turki
11 June 2025 23:09 ABU DHABI (WAM)Their Highnesses the Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates have sent condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, on the passing of Prince Faisal bin Turki bin Saud Al Kabeer Al messages were sent by Their Highnesses the Rulers, Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi of Sharjah, Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi of Ajman, Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi of Fujairah, Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mu'alla of Umm Al Quwain, and Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah. Their Crown Princes and Deputy Rulers also sent similar messages of condolences to the Saudi King.