By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Police have opened a kidnapping investigation after a Canadian doctoral student went missing in the eastern city of Lahore three days ago, officials said on Saturday, amid growing concerns from human rights groups and activists over his safety.
Hamza Ahmad, who had arrived in Pakistan last week to conduct field research for his PhD thesis, was last seen leaving a friend’s home in the upscale Defence Housing Authority (DHA) neighbourhood in the early hours of Feb. 19, according to a police report. A first information report (FIR) lodged at a DHA police station on the complaint of Ahmad’s friend, Yousif Rasheed, said the Canadian national had booked a cab and departed between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. that day but failed to return. Friends searched for him independently but could not locate him, the report added.
The FIR, which named unidentified suspects under kidnapping charges, stated that unknown persons may have abducted Ahmad and called for legal action against those responsible. Lahore Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operations) Faisal Kamran confirmed the case to local media and said authorities were making every effort to trace the missing researcher. “At this stage, we do not know who might have kidnapped Ahmad or whether he went missing under other circumstances,” Kamran said. He added that the motive remained unclear and that the investigation was continuing, with updates to follow as the search advanced.
The incident has sparked alarm among rights advocates and political figures, who fear it could reflect broader pressures on dissent and academic freedom in the country. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) voiced deep concern in a statement posted on the social media platform X, describing reports of Ahmad’s disappearance as troubling. The commission said it was “deeply troubled by reports that Ahmed had ‘gone missing’ while conducting ‘field research’ in Pakistan,” adding that colleagues in Lahore had alleged he was abducted by unidentified persons on Feb. 19. It called on authorities to “immediately” locate him and ensure his safe recovery and return home.
Political activist Ammar Ali Jan, in a post on X, said he had met Ahmad recently in Lahore and portrayed him as a scholar focused on anti-imperialist politics. “Yesterday, Hamza was abducted in Lahore. This regime is waging a relentless attack on dissent,” Jan wrote. The opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) also weighed in on X, emphasising the importance of scholarly independence. “The right to pursue academic research and express scholarly views is fundamental in a democratic society,” the group said. It warned that “silencing researchers through harassment or forced absence undermines intellectual freedom and weakens institutions,” and urged that Ahmad “deserves fairness, safety, and the opportunity to continue his academic work without fear.”
Ahmad had been staying with Rasheed in DHA Phase 10 since his arrival on Feb. 13, the FIR noted. Police have not disclosed further details on leads or potential suspects, and the Canadian embassy in Islamabad did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
