ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) on Thursday arrested Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh, co-Chairman of BOL TV and Axact Chief Executive Officer (CEO), from Islamabad airport.
According to the BOL administration, Shoaib Sheikh has been arrested by Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) Islamabad Zone.
In a statement, the FIA said that the BOL TV’s co-Chairman has been arrested over persistent absences. “The authority has served several summon notices to Sheikh in a case,” it said.
However, the investigation agency said, Shoaib Sheikh failed to appear at the FIA headquarters despite several notices.
Bol TV reported that the TV team went to the airport to receive Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh but he did come out of the airport. Some unidentified persons reportedly detained him and took him away with them.
Talking to Bol TV, Senior anchorperson Sami Ibrahim said that Shoaib Shaikh has been kidnapped from the Islamabad airport by some unknown persons and the management of the Bol TV has no idea about them who were they.
He maintained, “I call it abduction as we are not being told by any agency about whereabouts of Shoaib Shaikh so far.”
Sami Ibrahim said that Shoaib Shaikh had come to Islamabad to appear before the court of law in fabricated cases, adding that he was regularly appearing for hearings of every case despite the facts that all these cases are false.
He said that Shoaib Shaikh and BOL TV are being punished to support Imran Khan, PTI and judiciary and raise the voice against the cruelty of the imported government.
Secretary General of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) Rana Azim said that they strongly condemn the arrest of Bol News Co-Chairman Shoaib Shaikh.
He said that the arrest of Shoaib Sheikh is an attack on the freedom of press, adding that preparations are being made to impose restrictions on Bol News under a conspiracy and any kind of restriction on Bol News will not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, an FIR has surfaced after the arrest of Shoaib Shaikh and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has confirmed that Shoaib Shaikh was arrested in an old case, which was registered in 2016 and investigated in 2018.
Senior Vice President of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and former Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that there are reports that Bol Media Group CEO Shoaib Sheikh has been arrested from Islamabad Airport.
He added that this is another attempt to suppress PTI and media. “We strongly condemn it and demand that Shoaib Shaikh be released immediately.”
Former Punjab chief minister and President of the PTI Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has strongly condemned the kidnap of Shoaib Shaikh.
He said that the imported government wanted to suppress the independent voice and media in the country.
PTI Senator Ejaz Ahmad Chaudhry said that he strongly condemns the abduction of Bol News Co-Chairman Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh by unknown persons. The law of the jungle is established and the end of the imported regime is near, he maintained.
PTI Senior leader Hammad Azhar in his tweet strongly condemned the kidnap of Shoaib Shaikh.
Hammad said that this arrest came after the peaceful rally of PTI on Wednesday but brutal police crackdown, the fascist government is in panic.
