Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, Hamza Ahmed Khan, a doctoral researcher at the University of Toronto, was reported missing on February 19 in Lahore where he had been staying with a friend since he went to Pakistan on February 13.
Later, Pakistani media reports confirmed Khan’s arrest and he appeared before the court for a preliminary hearing, where he was remanded in custody for 14 days. Khan’s mysterious disappearance caused a stir in academic circles until it emerged that he had been arrested. Ali Usman Qasi, an associate professor of humanities and social sciences at Lahore University of Management Sciences, wrote on X that he met Khan the day before he disappeared.
“I strongly disagree with many of Hamza’s political views, but what I detest most is that he was singled out for them,” he wrote.“We spoke frankly for an hour and left with a better understanding of where the other side is coming from. That’s why dialogue is important and necessary to communicate across the political spectrum.”
Who is Hamza Ahmed Khan? ? Why was he arrested in Pakistan?
Khan, a Canadian-Pakistani scholar, went to Pakistan to conduct field research for his dissertation on “Policies for Promoting Democracy in Muslim-Majority Societies.”
He is pursuing his PhD from the University of Toronto. He has worked as a chartered accountant in Pakistan and the United Kingdom. According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, Khan was arrested by the Federal National Cybercrime Investigation Agency due to his online activity.Pakistani authorities said they were investigating Khan’s “inflammatory” social media posts, which were “aimed at inciting public unrest.” The Toronto Star identified an X account believed to be Khan’s that made dozens of posts critical of the Pakistani government, although the complaint against Khan did not mention any specific post.Khan, in his recent posts, talked about Imran Khan, Pakistan being part of Donald Trump’s peace council and so on. They mostly criticize Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Asim Munir, and Bilawal Bhutto Zardai, the son of assassinated Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
