ISLAMABAD
At least four Pakistani activists known on social media for their secular leftist views went missing last week, relatives and non-government organisation (NGO) workers said yesterday, as analysts voiced rights concerns.
Two of the men — Waqas Goraya and Asim Saeed — disappeared on January 4, according to a cybersecurity NGO, while Salman Haider vanished on Friday and Ahmad Raza Naseer on Saturday, relatives said.
The interior ministry has said it will investigate the disappearance of Haider, a Dawn newspaper blogger known for his outspoken views on enforced disappearances in the southwestern province of Balochistan, but made no reference to the others.
All four were active on social media groups, promoting leftist, secular views, often against the military or conservative state.
Pakistan is routinely ranked among the world’s most dangerous for journalists, and reporting critical of the military is considered a major red flag, with journalists at times detained, beaten and even killed.
“The state has controlled TV and now they’re focusing on digital spaces,” said Raza Rumi, a writer and analyst who left Pakistan in 2014 after he was attacked by gunmen who shot his driver dead.
A security source denied intelligence services were involved in the disappearances.
Shahzad Ahmed, head of cyber security NGO Bytes for All, said: “None of these activists have been brought to any court of law or levelled with any charges. Their status disappearance is very worrying not only for the families, but also for netizens and larger social media users in the country”.
