Four rights activists go missing in a week

At least four Pakistani activists known on social media have gone missing this week, relatives and NGO workers told agencies on Sunday.

Two of the men — Waqas Goraya and Asim Saeed — disappeared on January 4, according to a cyber security NGO, while Salman Haider vanished on Friday and Ahmed Raza Naseer on Saturday, their relatives said.

The interior ministry has said that it will investigate the disappearance of Haider but has made no reference to the others.

Naseer, who suffers from polio, was taken from his family’s shop in central Punjab, his brother Tahir told agencies on Sunday.

Salman Haider’s wife received a text message from his phone saying he was leaving his car on the Islamabad expressway, his brother Faizan said.

Police later found the car and registered a report. Faizan said his brother had not received any specific threats.

Waqas Goraya, who is usually a resident of the Netherlands, was picked up on January 4, as was Aasim Saeed, said Shahzad Ahmed, head of cyber security NGO Bytes for All.