Pakistani human rights lawyer returns home after being kidnapped in Karachi

Top Pakistani human rights lawyer Jibran Nasir, who was abducted by armed men in the country's biggest city of Karachi, has returned home according to the police.

His release on Friday came after dozens of protesters held a rally in Karachi to condemn his abduction.

It was not immediately clear who was behind Nasir's kidnapping on Thursday or where he had been held.

Nasir’s wife said the couple was returning home after dining out when a group of armed men in two white vans intercepted their car in an upscale area.

The men took Nasir away but left her unharmed, said the lawyer's wife Mansha Pasha. She said she did not know who was behind the abduction.

No one has claimed responsibility for the incident, but the disappearance drew condemnation from rights activists who held the protest the next day.

Disappearances

The incident appeared to be the latest in a recent rash of abductions in Pakistan that rights groups say may be forced disappearances at the hands of the secret service.

Amnesty International said the Pakistani “authorities must expeditiously and impartially investigate and determine his whereabouts."

"If in state custody, Jibran must either be released immediately or if there is sufficient evidence, produce him in a civilian court,” the London-based watchdog said on Twitter.

Nasir's brief abduction came amid the country's lingering political turmoil after former prime minister Imran Khan's arrest on May 9 in Islamabad for suspected graft sparked widespread protests that saw mobs ransacking state installations, including military assets.

Khan was freed on bail on May 12 for an initial two weeks, obtained a three-day bail extension from a high court and later a further extension from the trial court until June 19.

Parliament ousted Khan in a no-confidence vote in April 2022.