Imran Khan’s abducted lawyer Intezar Panjutha recovered

Intezar Hussain Panjutha, a lawyer associated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan, was recovered by police after being abducted on October 8.

His recovery occurred in the early hours of November 3 in Attock, Punjab, where he was reportedly abandoned by his kidnappers following a police chase.

As reported, the authorities had set up a blockade after a suspicious vehicle, believed to be transporting Panjutha, failed to stop when signalled by the police.

Upon recovery, Panjutha was found with his hands and feet bound. Police provided him with immediate assistance before transferring him to a safe location. Following the incident, he was taken to a hospital for evaluation.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which Khan leads, has expressed scepticism regarding the circumstances of Panjutha’s recovery.

PTI leaders have called the situation a “scripted drama” and demanded an investigation into the attorney general’s prior claims that Panjutha would be produced in court within 24 hours of the hearing.

They further alleged that he may have been coerced into making statements about his abduction while in a vulnerable state.

PTI Chairman Gohar Khan, reacting to Intezar Panjutha’s recovery, questioned whether anyone would “ever take any such case to its logical conclusion”

“You abduct, torture and then leave by [the] roadside and yet people say, ‘thank God, he is back’ — no question asked,” Gohar said in a statement posted on X.

“Will any court ever hold anyone responsible or punish them for it?” Gohar said, adding that the recovery of Imran’s lawyer without any consequence for the abductors signified the downfall of human dignity and the rise of the “rule of might is right”.

“God bless our nation,” Gohar said.