Pro-Khan Pakistani TV journalist goes missing

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A renowned Pakistani television journalist known for his vocal support of former Prime Minister Imran Khan has gone missing, as per the police, his family, and his employer.

Sami Abraham's disappearance was initially reported by authorities in a late Wednesday tweet, hours after he went missing. His family and the Karachi-based independent BOL television, where Abraham works, said he was kidnapped on Thursday.

Abraham has always been vocal in his opposition to Khan's successor, Premier Shahbaz Sharif. 

According to a press release from BOL TV, Abraham was abducted on Wednesday by unidentified individuals. Ali Raza, Abraham's brother, submitted a police complaint accusing eight individuals in four vehicles of stopping his brother's car on his way home from work in Islamabad and kidnapping him. His driver was not hurt.

The police tweeted that they will do everything possible to find the well-known TV reporter.

Abraham's abduction came just two weeks after the disappearance of another pro-Khan TV journalist, Imran Riaz. Pakistani authorities have denied holding him.

On its account, Reporters Without Borders, the worldwide media watchdog also known by its French abbreviation RSF, voiced worry for Riaz's safety. It urged Pakistan's government, in a statement, "to ensure respect for the rule of law by immediately revealing where and under what conditions he is being held."

Earlier, former Pakistani PM Imran Khan expressed that top officials in his party were being coerced into quitting. 

This comes as one former cabinet minister recently resigned.

Authorities have imprisoned hundreds of followers of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, according to rights monitors, since days of protests erupted following his brief incarceration in early May.

Read more: Pakistani police continue to crack down on, arrest PTI Leaders

Party spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry, who served as communications minister in Khan's cabinet, resigned from the party, while general secretary and former finance minister Asad Umar indicated he would step down but continue to be with the PTI.

On Tuesday, Senior VP Shireen Mazari resigned.

In a Wednesday night video, Khan expressed that this was a crackdown he had not seen "in the history of Pakistan."

Khan detailed how those who state they are members of his party will face oppression and violence and be locked up.

"If you say the magic words, we are no longer in PTI," he continued," then you will be released."

The former PM disclosed that he did not know who to contact anymore since everyone was being thrown in jail. According to Amnesty International, "a pall of fear hangs over Khan's supporters following the arbitrary arrests of many opposition leaders" on Tuesday.

In a joint statement with other organizations, they stated, "Authorities must stop clamping down on the political opposition" accusing the government of employing vague anti-terrorism laws" to conduct their arrests. 

Khan was granted bail in eight cases yesterday as he continues to warn of the possibility of the military rearresting him imminently.

Khan, who is accused of more than 100 offenses, was given bail by courts in Islamabad and Lahore in several cases till June 8., including allegations of terrorism and corruption.

The former Prime Minister traveled to Rawalpindi on Wednesday to testify before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) scandal [Al-Qadir Trust case].