LHC orders FIA to recover Mashwani.

LAHORE -- The Lahore High Court on Thursday ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to recover and produce Azhar Mashwani, a PTI social media activist who has been missing since last week, in court on April 3.

Justice Aalia Neelum passed the order on a habeas corpus petition filed by Mazharul Hassan, Mr Mashwani's brother.

Meanwhile, PTI's Insaf Youth Wing on Thursday called for a countrywide protest for the immediate release of Mr Mashwani and his immediate production in the court.

Protest plan

The protest in Lahore will be held outside Lahore Press Club this afternoon (Friday). Earlier, Amnesty International had raised concern over the disappearance of Mr Mashwani, who is PTI chief Imran Khan's focal person for social media. The human rights watchdog took to Twitter and stated that the organisation is 'alarmed by reports of the enforced disappearance of Azhar Mashwani, whose whereabouts remain unknown'.

PTI condemns police raids on residences of party workers, social media activists

During Thursday's proceedings at the Lahore High Court, the petitioner's counsel Azhar Siddique told the court that Mr Mashwani was kidnapped from outside his Township residence on March 23 and since then his whereabouts were not known. He said the brother of the petitioner was a law-abiding citizen who was entitled to the fundamental rights including the right of individuals to be dealt with in accordance with law in respect of liberty and security of a person.

The counsel alleged that the police and officials of the FIA nurtured grudges against the petitioner's brother and they were being used as a tool of the federal and provincial governments against him.

He pointed out that the Green Town police registered a case of abduction after a sessions court took cognisance of the matter. However, no progress had been made so far.

He said if the detained activist was not recovered from the 'illegal and unlawful...