I wrote this piece for The Wire on Oct. 24, after hearing that the young journalist-activist Zeenat Shehzadi who “disappeared” over two years ago, has been recovered. A brief re-cap of what happened and how her case is linked to that of a young Indian man whose case she had been following after his “disappearance” in Pakistan.
Pakistani Reporter Zeenat Shahzadi, Who Disappeared While Searching for Indian Man, Reappears
The Pakistani journalist-activist – who had gone missing in August 2015 – has paid a heavy price for wanting to uphold humanitarianism and the principles of social justice.
Five days before she was due to testify before Pakistan’s Commission of Enquiry on Enforced Disappearances in August 2015, 24-year-old journalist-activist Zeenat Shahzadi herself became a disappeared person. She remained missing until her parents received word on Friday – October 19, 2017 – that she had been recovered.
Shahzadi’s mother has spoken to her and reported that she was alright. The family would like to be left alone and not pressed for more details. [Read more…]
Filed under: Freedom of expression, Human rights, Pakistan-India, Uncategorized | Tagged: Activism, disappeared, Hamid Ansari, India, journalism, missing, Pakistan, Peace activism, social media, Zeenat Shehzadi | 1 Comment »
Reproducing below the letter sent by the Women’s Action Forum letter to the Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Pakistan about the “disappeared” activists and the deliberate and sustained campaign against them in the media and on social media. This campaign, with its accusations of blasphemy and treason being leveled against the missing activists and those campaigning for their safe recovery poses a danger to those missing, their families and the human rights campaigners.
A sad, sad day. Rest in peace, Amjad Sabri, qawwal, 
Journeys to democracy 