LAHORE: Aun Ali Khosa, a YouTuber, was purportedly “taken into custody by some unknown armed men,” and the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday directed the Lahore police to retrieve him by August 20. According to a copy of the petition submitted in the LHC by Aun’s wife Binish Iqbal, to which, her husband was “in the unlawful and illegal custody of the law enforcement authorities” as of yesterday.
Iqbal expressed her concern for Aun’s safety, stating that she did not know where he was and that she had a strong suspicion that he had been the victim of an enforced disappearance. After hearing the petition today, Justice Shahbaz Ali Rizvi directed the Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) to appear in court on August 20 with the “abducted” artist.
The police have not received any complaints regarding the purported kidnapping of Aun, according to Lahore Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Faisal Kamran. He further stated that the police would look into the case whenever they received any complaints.
The appeal
Aun was described in the petition as a writer, a revered comedian/artist, and a digital content developer with a sizable 137,000 YouTube subscribers. According to the report, the front door of his flat was broken apart and twelve police officers and “men with masked faces in plain clothes” broke in at two in the morning on August 15. According to the petition, the heavily armed guys also took Aun’s digital camera, laptop, computer, and phone.
“The petitioner pursued them in a Fortuner and a Black Revo double cabin car when they departed. They attacked him, pushing him into the Black Vigo that was parked outside the apartment, and then they ran away, according to the petition. The petitioner inquired about the cause for the men’s pick-up on multiple occasions, but they declined to answer and departed.
Encouragement to share
On August 15, Ali Sher Khosa, the brother of the artist, claimed on platform X that Aun had been “taken into custody by some unknown armed men from his flat in Lahore.” He urged everyone to share the information and begged that they pray for Aun’s recovery. Khosa refuted claims that his family was “receiving threats” in a post on X today. “This news is not true! Please put an end to spreading it. Nobody has threatened us with a phone call,” he stated.
