ISLAMABAD: Shamim Mehmood, a freelance journalist, was kidnapped from Islamabad’s Sector G-6 and tortured and interrogated for four hours before his release on the Islamabad Express Highway on Saturday, according to an application filed by the victim in the Aabpara police station.
The victim filed the application for investigation and prosecution of the accused persons as per the law. He also raised his concerns of life threat in the aftermath of the event.
The application stated that as soon as he reached the spot, where his friend Arshad Gill had called him for urgent discussion, three men with coverings on their faces surrounded him and forcefully put him in a car.
“They covered my face with a black cloth and took me in an interrogation room after around 15 minutes’ drive,” he stated.
“They took my mobile phone and aggressively interrogated and physically assaulted me before asking different obnoxious questions for around four hours,” the applicant added.
“They beat me hard with their hands, foot and sticks and after almost four hours of this repeated exercise, they released me on the Islamabad Express Highway.”
He prayed to register a case on account of kidnaping, wrongful confinement and physical hurt.
When contacted, Arshad Gill stated that he along with the victim journalist had visited the embassy of Hungary in Islamabad for professional reasons and later visited the Foreign Office.
“I was abducted too but they did not torture me,” he said. He further explained his position by saying he is just a businessman and have no role, whatsoever, in what has happened.
Shamim has worked with Online News Agency, Daily Jinnah, Daily Morning Mail and some other local dailies.
