The return of Zeenat Shahzadi and disappearance of social media activists

At a time, when one female journalist who remained missing for two years is back to home, two social media activists have gone missing. 

It seems the saga of disappearance and recovery will go on forever in Pakistan.

Zeenat Shahzadi, whose journalistic credentials are not much known, had gone missing two years ago while going to appear before the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearance in connection with a case of Indian citizen Hamid Ansari whose whereabouts are still not known. 

Ansari’s mother, Fouzia Ansari, had approached several Pakistani journalists seeking their help for the recovery of her son. Zeenat Shahzadi responded to her pleas, but instead of being a helping hand to her, she herself became a horrible news. 

During her disappearance, her family suffered painful times; her brother, unable to cope with the tragedy, committed suicide while the family remained under financial issues. 

Her family needs time and privacy to divulge the details if they wish so. 

The circumstances under which she was recovered beg answers. 

According to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforcement, headed by newly-appointed National Accountability Bureau Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal, she was kidnapped by hostile agencies and anti-state elements and she was rescued by law-enforcement agencies along Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Had that been the case, the Inter-Services Public Relation (ISPR), the media and public relation department of the army, would have turned to its Twitter handle to announce yet another big success by the armed forces, as it did in the cases of rescue of the Canadian-American family and the son of the Sindh High Court chief justice. 

The silence of the ISPR is conspicuous. It should clear the situation.  

The return of Zeenat Shahzadi is a welcome development; the occasion, however, could not be celebrated for the disappearance of two social media activists, Anwar Adil and Wajid Rasul Malik, reportedly linked with the social media house of Maryam Nawaz. As neither state departments and organs nor the families of the disappeared activists have issued any statement, relying on ‘media reports’ it can be inferred that the missing activists were involved in a smear campaign against the judiciary and the armed forces. Initially, it was reported that the Federal Investigation Agency, the federal wing mandated with the recently passed anti-cybercrime laws to deal with such cases, had picked them. The agency, however, offered no explanation.

What made the matter more complex is the statement by disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif who has ‘ordered’ his own party government to find the whereabouts the missing activists. He should have thought twice before issuing the statement. He was in the office of prime minister when four bloggers were picked. Of them, three have returned while one is still missing. In those times, Nawaz Sharif chose not to speak on the matter. When his own government promulgated the harsh cyber laws, he remained mum. It would be wise if he offers regrets and asks his party government to come up with corrective measures, such as reforming the cyber laws and making the inquiry commission powerful. 

Also wiser it would be for him to advise Maryam Nawaz to use the social media platform for strengthening democracy. It seems she wants to fight her graft cases on social media.

No, Maryam Nawaz, you only need good lawyers to convince the courts that you are innocent. Social media is not the right place.