Imran Riaz Khan (Punjabi, Urdu: عمران ریاض خان born 14 August 1975, Faisalabad) is a Pakistani journalist, anchor and YouTuber.
On 11 May 2023, Khan was reported to have been arrested by police while fleeing from Pakistan due to fear of political repression. Media reports have suggested that Imran's abduction may be connected to his outspokenness against the government and military. Given the context of enforced disappearances targeting critics, dissenters, and journalists in Pakistan, reports about Imran's situation raises concerns about his safety and well-being, including the possibility of mistreatment or even death as per reports. Human rights organisations such as Amnesty International have requested for an urgent transparent and thorough investigation into his disappearance.
Imran Riaz was recovered and reunited with his family on 25th September 2023, after over 4 months of disappearance.
Early life and education
He was born on 14 August 1975 in Faisalabad, Punjab and after getting his early education at the Lahore Grammar School he studied mass communication at the Punjab University.
Professional career
He started his career as a crime reporter for a local newspaper.
Later, he became a news anchor on Express News channel. As a current affairs host he has also worked with the television channels GNN and Samaa TV.
He started his YouTube channel "Imran Riaz Khan" in 2020, which as of October 2022 has more than 3.48 million subscribers.
Arrests
First arrest
While entering Islamabad Toll Plaza on 5 July 2022, he was driving "to the federal capital to get bail from the Islamabad High Court," and was arrested when Punjab Police surrounded his car before he could pass out of Punjab jurisdiction, despite being aware of court orders by the Islamabad and Lahore High Courts, and issuances of protective pre-arrest bail grants, intended to avoid an arrest of the journalist. Riaz later uploaded a video on YouTube stating that if he is not released, he will release the names of everyone who is behind the alleged regime change operation in which foreign influence provoked a constitutional crisis, ultimately ending with the PTI government of Imran Khan being ousted, when the former Prime Minister was removed from office in what he calls an "American conspiracy" against the sovereignty of Pakistan.
A day before his arrest, Riaz was critical of the Shehbaz Sharif-led government and uploaded a video to YouTube, in which Dawn News said Riaz "directly addressed Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and alleged that he was threatened after asking questions from military sources about the country's current political and economic situation." Riaz also indicated that his family is the target of threats.
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan strongly protested the "arbitrary arrest" and called on the public as well as the media to "unite and stand up against this fascism." Former official Asad Umar stated that PTI party workers will stage protests at press clubs throughout the country for what he said is an "attempt to suppress freedom of expression". Immediately following the arrest, reports showed a wide condemnation of the treatment and expressions of concern stemming from similar ideological grounds favoring free speech, including that of academic and activist Ammar Ali Jan, who warned of the irrationality in "clumsy" uses of force in a "battle of ideas."
He was released on bail on 9 July 2022, by Lahore High Courts' Judge Justice Baqar Najafi. His name was added to the Exit Control List by the FIA on the request of the police.
Second arrest
He was arrested again on Feb 2nd, 2023 on charges of “hate speech” and making a “violence-inducing statement” aimed at creating “a rift between the general public and the state institutions”. and was released a week later.
Third arrest and disappearance
In the aftermath of the May 9 riots, he was arrested once again by Punjab Police on 11 May 2023 from Sialkot Airport. The police later stated that he was released from jail the same night despite a detention notice of 30-days. After his release from jail, CCTV footage showed Riaz being abducted from outside the prison by 4-5 unidentified men who wore masks and forcibly put him inside a Toyota Vigo.