Kareem Khan, an Anti-Drone Activist, Gone Missing in Pakistan

A journalist and anti-drone activist from Pakistan has gone missing after he was kidnaped from his living place on Monday. Kareem Khan was abducted from his home last Wednesday, on the night of 5th February, as per attorney Shazad Akbar.

Akbar said that Kareem was was seized by 20 men, and some of those men were dressed in the police uniforms. Shahzad said that Kareem was his first client during 2010 against the US drone attacks in tribal areas of country. As per Shahzad, he filed a complaint with police, but they completely denied having picked Kareem up.

Khan was due to speak to British, Dutch and German parliamentarians about his experience with the drone strikes and so he was already planning to leave for Europe this week, as per Reprieve, which is a UK-based charity organization that offers legal support to prisoners.

Khan was also a part of the legal proceedings against Pakistani government that concerned its failure in investigating the deaths of Khan’s brother and son in a drone attack, the charity noted on its website.

"We are very worried about Mr. Khan's safety," Clare Algar, the executive director of Reprieve, said. She further said, "He is a crucial witness to the dangers of the CIA's covert drone programme, and has simply sought justice for the death of his son and brother through peaceful, legal routes."

In December 2010, Khan spoke to CNN regarding the drone airstrike in 2009 in which his home in Machikhel was targeted. Machikhel  is a village situated in North Waziristan.

According to a statement by Khan, his 35-year-old brother, a Master’s in English Literature and a teacher; his 18 years-old son, and many others were killed in the airstrike. He had filed a $500 million lawsuit against United States government.

Noor Behram, a journalist from North Waziristan, said that Khan was among first people who raised awareness about the. Noor said it was a huge setback that Khan had disappeared right before he could succeed in raising the issue to an international level during his trip to Europe.