A Year Since Pakistani Journalist Zeenat Shahzadi’s Disappearance

The journalist was abducted in Lahore following her involvement with a case where an Indian citizen went missing.

19 August 2015 began like most other days for Pakistani journalist Zeenat Shahzadi. She woke up, got ready and headed to work in an autorickshaw.

But everything changed the minute her vehicle was blocked by two cars. She was abducted by two armed men on a busy Lahore street, and that was the last time Zeenat was seen.

A year has passed, yet the case has witnessed no developments. Her family and human rights organisations consider it to be ‘a forced disappearance’.

Zeenat Shahzadi was a freelance reporter for local channels and an active participant in human rights movements. Despite coming from a humble background, she made a career for herself and was the sole bread winner for her family, reports BBC.

Before her disappearance, the 24-year-old was working on the case of Hamid Ansari, an Indian who went missing in Pakistan in 2012, for whom she had filed a missing person’s petition.

She was due to appear before the Commission on Enforced Disappearances to testify in the Hamid Ansari case.

Due to her efforts, security agencies admitted that Hamid was in their custody and was later sentenced by a military court.

Human rights lawyer Hina Jillani says Zeenat’s involvement in Hamid Ansari’s case led to her being detained and interrogated by security officials prior to her disappearance.

Security Agencies Deny Any Connections

According to BBC, the grief of losing his sister led Zeenat’s brother to commit suicide, leaving her mother alone.

The family still reels from the tragedy while security agencies have denied any connections with her disappearance.

The government-sponsored Commission on Enforced Disappearances has been investigating Zeenat Shahzadi’s case and has yet to make any progress.