Prominent Pakistani journalist 'goes missing' in Islamabad

Matiullah Jan, known for his criticism of Pakistan's powerful military, was last seen outside a school in the capital.

Islamabad, Pakistan - Rights groups have demanded information on the whereabouts of a prominent Pakistani journalist, known for his criticism of the country's powerful military, after he reportedly disappeared on Tuesday.

Police said Matiullah Jan was last seen outside a government school in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Tuesday morning.

"He came here to the government girls school in the G-6 [neighbourhood], where his wife is a teacher, to drop her off," said Nasrullah, an officer investigating the case. "His car is still standing here."

"We are investigating the case presently, and no formal charges have been filed yet."

Jan's wife Kaneez Sughra, 42, told Al Jazeera she heard sounds of a scuffle outside the school, but she had not thought seriously about it at the time.

"The school is closed and there are no children here, but we do have a little work there to write letters or other administrative work, so I was there."

Sughra said Jan dropped her at the school at 10am local time (05:00 GMT), and asked to be picked up three hours later. Around an hour later, she heard the scuffle outside the gate.

"I could hear that something was going on outside, but I couldn't hear my husband's voice. What I heard was for four or five seconds. Then at 1.15pm (08:15 GMT) when I called him, he was not answering."

Sughra said she went outside the school and saw their car was still standing where Jan had left it. "The car was unlocked and the keys were in it. You could see from the state of the car that he was removed forcibly."

Pakistani Information Minister Shibli Faraz acknowledged the abduction in a press conference held in Islamabad. Faraz was speaking after a weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"I assure you that, while I do not have all of the details, this much is clear that he was kidnapped," said Faraz. "We will try our best that today we find out where he is and what steps be taken to recover him. It is obvious that this is the duty of the government, and the government will fulfill its duties."