A Pakistani-origin Canadian citizen, a PhD scholar of University of Toronto, Hamza Ahmad Khan, 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 that Khan was arrested and also appeared in court for an initial hearing, where he was given a 14-day custody.
The mysterious disappearance of Khan created a stir in the academic circles until it was found out that he was arrested. Ali Usman Qasi, an associate professor of humanities and social sciences at Lahore University of Management Sciences, wrote on X that he had met with Khan a day before he went missing. “I strongly disagree with many of Hamza’s political views, but what I despise most is that he has been picked up for them,” he wrote.
