Missing blogger found, leaves country fearing for life: Family

islamabad — Blogger Aasim Saeed who went missing earlier this month has been found but has quickly left the country fearing for his life, his family said on Sunday.

Saeed’s father said his son was detained by “state agencies” while visiting Pakistan from Singapore, though he did not name which one.

The government and Federal Investigation Agency have denied holding any of five liberal activists who went missing this month.

Saeed’s recovery comes a day after poet and activist Salman Haider, who disappeared from the capital Islamabad on January 6, was recovered, according to his family.

Five liberal activists, some of whom have posted blogs criticising the political influence of the military

The only instruction aasim got from the agencies was that he could not give any media interviews Ghulam Haider, Aasim’s father

and speaking for the rights of religious minorities, had each gone missing separately since January 4.

Saeed, who is Singapore-based and works in the IT department of the German Merck Group, disappeared on January 4 while visiting Lahore. “It was no one other than the state agencies who took him,” Aasim Saeed’s father, Ghulam Haider, said.

He said Saeed was picked up over a social media post intelligence agencies deemed “objectionable”.

“My son is not against any agency, he is not against the military or government and he is not against Islam,” Haider said. “The fact that he was set free means that he has been cleared of all charges.”

“The only instruction Aasim got from the agencies was that he could not give any media interviews,” Haider added.

Haider said Aasim returned to his house briefly on Saturday but then left quickly, and messaged the family on Sunday morning to inform them that he was safe and would call soon.

Haider said Saeed had either returned to Singapore or was in Germany. —