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Pakistani journalists Razi Tahir and Muhammad Saif detained amid crackdown on Kashmir reporting

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Pakistani journalists Razi Tahir and Muhammad Saif detained amid crackdown on Kashmir reporting

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New York, August 5, 2026—Pakistani authorities must account for and immediately release journalists Razi Tahir and Muhammad Saif, who were taken by men in police uniform from their office in the capital city Islamabad, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday.  

Tahir and Saif, independent journalists who publish through Tahir’s popular social media channels, were seized and taken to an undisclosed location on August 1, according to a post on X by Razi’s colleague Harmeet Singh, and a local journalist, who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Both Singh and the journalist said that the men who seized the pair were wearing police uniforms. However, police in Islamabad have not acknowledged the journalists’ detention and their whereabouts remain unknown.

Before their disappearance, the journalists had reported on unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where authorities have suspended internet services and imposed severe restrictions on press freedom amid widespread protests by civil society groups, including the banned Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC). More than 40 people have been killed during the protests, according to news reports.

“The disappearance of Razi Tahir and Muhammad Saif appears to be part of an escalating effort to silence independent reporting on Kashmir amid severe press freedom violations in the region,” said CPJ Afghanistan-Pakistan Representative Waliullah Rahmani. “Pakistani authorities must immediately disclose the journalists’ whereabouts, ensure their due-process rights, and release them unconditionally.”  

Tahir, who has approximately 37,000 followers on X, is the chief executive officer of the marketing and advertising agency, Sapium Digital, but reports on current affairs in Pakistan through his YouTube channel, The Independent Lens.

Saif is a Kashmiri journalist who works with Tahir, according to two journalists who spoke to CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of state reprisals.

On June 23, 2026, officers from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency detained Tahir at the Islamabad District Courts after his pre-arrest bail application was dismissed in a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, which was related to his reporting on former Prime Minister Imran Khan. He was released on bail on July 8.

Independent journalist Syed Farhad Ali Shah also remains in detention in connection with his coverage of the protests in Kashmir. There has been no update on his condition since he began a hunger strike on July 28 in Bagh district.

Islamabad Capital Territory Police headquarters did not respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment.

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