Missing TV Anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan Found Safe at Home, Confirms Punjab Inspector General” Punjab Inspector General (IG) Dr. Usman Anwar has confirmed to Dawn.com on Monday that anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan, who had been missing for over four months, is now “safe at home.”
The development was also confirmed by Sialkot District Police Officer (DPO) Hassan Iqbal and Riaz’s lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfaq.
Riaz, a YouTuber and television anchor, was arrested two days after violent protests erupted across the country following the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan on May 9. His last known whereabouts were at the Cantt police station after his arrest and later at the Sialkot prison. On May 15, a law officer informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) that the anchorperson had been released from jail after providing a written undertaking.
On September 20, the LHC had given the Punjab police chief a “final opportunity” to locate Riaz by September 26. During the hearing, LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti expressed impatience with the situation.
In an early morning social media post on X (formerly Twitter), the Sialkot police announced, “Journalist and anchor Mr. Imran Riaz Khan has been safely recovered and reunited with his family.”
In a separate statement, his lawyer, Ashfaq, shared on X, expressed, “Through the special blessing, grace, and mercy of God, I have successfully brought back my prince. It was a long and arduous journey, marked by numerous obstacles, limited comprehension of the situation, a judiciary that struggled, and the current inadequacies of our public constitution and legal system.”
Describing Riaz’s condition, journalist Wajahat S Khan revealed that he had communicated with Riaz’s family. He noted that the anchorperson, while having returned, was “physically weak and not in the best of health.”
