ISLAMABAD: Pakistani journalist Waheed Murad was taken away from his residence in Islamabad by masked men early Wednesday morning, his family said, as prominent members of the media community condemned the development and called for his immediate recovery.
Murad works with Urdu News, a digital media outlet catering to Urdu-speaking audiences in Pakistan and abroad. The incident with him follows a growing pattern of intimidation and harassment against journalists in the country, particularly those seen as critical of the establishment.
“My husband, @awaheedmurad, was taken away at 2 a.m. last night by masked men,” his wife, journalist Shinza Nawaz, wrote on social media platform X. “They kept asking repeatedly, ‘Where is his wife?’”
“My mother was also at home,” she continued. “They misbehaved with her as well — she was pushed. My mother is a heart patient. They took my mother’s phone, both of Waheed’s phones, and some documents.”
In a video clip circulated after the incident, Murad’s mother-in-law, Abida Nawaz, said the masked men who arrived at their residence identified themselves as police.
“There were three vehicles and around 15 to 20 people,” she continued. “They did not show any warrant or documents. They broke down the doors and dragged Waheed away.”
Murad’s disappearance comes just days after the disappearance of the brothers of exiled Pakistani journalist Ahmad Noorani.
On March 18, around midnight, approximately two dozen individuals identifying themselves as police forcibly entered Noorani’s family home in Islamabad, assaulted his two brothers and took them to an undisclosed location.
Two days later, on March 20, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested journalist Farhan Mallick in Karachi. Mallick, founder of the digital media platform Raftar, was detained on allegations of airing “anti-state” content on his YouTube channel.
International rights organizations, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), have expressed increasing concern over the deteriorating climate for press freedom in Pakistan.
CPJ and other advocacy groups have repeatedly urged the government to address such incidents and to ensure the safety of journalists operating in the country.
 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan described Israel’s continued airstrikes in Syria as “unacceptable” at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday, saying they constituted a breach of Syrian sovereignty and must cease immediately, as the council met to discuss the political and humanitarian situation in the Arab state.
Israel has intensified its military activity in Syria following the downfall of Bashar Assad’s regime in late 2024, citing security concerns over the alleged presence of hostile elements near its borders. The Israeli government has also declared an open-ended military presence in the area, framing it as necessary to and to secure its northern frontier.
In parallel, Israel has also reaffirmed and expanded its hold over the Golan Heights, a territory it captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed, a move unrecognized by much of the international community. Its recent plans to double the settler population in the Golan have drawn criticism, with various international players warning that Israel’s actions risk further destabilizing an already volatile region.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative-designate to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, condemned what he called Israel’s “military escalation” in Syria, urging the Security Council to hold Tel Aviv accountable.
“Israel’s repeated and continuing incursions and airstrikes into Syrian territory, continued violations of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement, and its declared intent for an ‘indefinite’ presence and ‘full demilitarization of southern Syria’ are unacceptable, constitute blatant violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and undermine international law and regional stability,” Ahmad said during his comments.
He maintained that Israel’s actions were in direct contravention of the council’s March 14 Presidential Statement, which reaffirmed Syria’s sovereignty and called on all states to refrain from interference that could further destabilize the country.
“Israel must cease its incursions forthwith and this council must hold Israel to its obligations,” he added.
Addressing the broader situation in Syria, Ahmad said the Arab state’s multifaceted challenges — political, economic, security and humanitarian — required a “holistic and coordinated response.”
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, calling it key to achieving lasting peace.
Welcoming Syria’s new interim Constitution as a “critical step” toward restoring the rule of law, Ahmad also described last month’s National Dialogue Conference as a “positive development.”
He expressed hope that the forthcoming appointment of an interim government, legislative council, and constitutional committee would reflect Syria’s diversity and promote inclusive governance.
Ahmad warned that Syria’s economic crisis — marked by cash shortages, fuel deficits, and rising prices — was worsening the humanitarian situation.
He called for robust international support for the UN’s transitional action plan focused on poverty reduction, refugee reintegration and institutional capacity-building.
“In this regard, lifting of unilateral sanctions is imperative to facilitating reconstruction and aid efforts,” he said, adding that a reassessment and drawdown of the UN sanctions regime was also warranted to ensure that vital economic and humanitarian initiatives were not obstructed.