Mystery surrounds the abduction and release three days later of a popular YouTuber who created a satirical song making fun of high electricity bills in Pakistan.
Family members say Aun Ali Khosa was abducted August 14 after his song went viral. Based on a famous patriotic song "Dil Dil Pakistan," which means "Heart Heart Pakistan," the satirical version changed the lyric to "Bill Bill Pakistan."
According to Aun Ali Khosa's wife, Benish Iqbal, eight or nine masked men arrived at their home in a large car and a pickup truck. She said they entered the house by breaking a window and door and took Khosa with them.
He returned home at midnight three days later and is in fine health, according to the family, but his face shows signs of fatigue, and he is not speaking to anyone.
In a conversation with VOA, Khosa said, "I'm absolutely fine. I do not want to talk about where I was, who took me, or why."
When VOA asked Khosa if he was fed during his disappearance, he replied, "I don't want to talk about that."
Iqbal filed a petition in the Lahore High Court, alleging Khosa was unlawfully detained by law enforcement officers. Authorities so far have not responded to the accusation.
This is not the first incident of apparent disappearance over satirical writing. Earlier this year, Ahmed Farhad, a poet and journalist from Pakistan-administered Kashmir, also went missing. After several days, the police announced his arrest.
Enforced disappearance rising
According to human rights activists, cases of short-term allegedly enforced disappearances across the country have increased in recent years, with a spike since May 9. Most of the "disappeared" do not speak openly about their experiences.
Human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari observes that while enforced disappearances used to be for longer durations, since 2022, there has been an uptick in cases where people are taken for just a few days and then released — marking a troubling new pattern.
"The purpose of making someone disappear for a short period of time is to silence them by intimidation," Mazari told VOA.
"For example, a journalist could be arrested for a week so he is intimidated and does not publish a story. Or an officer can be kidnapped for allegedly disobeying an 'illegal' order," Mazari added.
Legal expert Khadija Siddiqui believes that Pakistan's law is clear that if a person commits a crime, he or she is arrested and brought to court within 24 hours. But, she says, some people are picked up even if there is no case against them.
"There is no law in the country for forced disappearance or abduction of people by force," Siddiqui told VOA.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a nongovernmental human rights organization in Pakistan, has expressed its concern about enforced disappearances and demanded that such persons be recovered as soon as possible.
While talking to VOA, HRCP Chairman Asad Butt said, "Incidents like Aun Ali Khosa show the weakness of the state."
Legal expert Siddiqui suggests that stricter judicial measures against enforced disappearances could significantly cut down on future incidents.
This story originated in VOA's Urdu Service.
