Canadian PhD Scholar Researching Anti-Imperialist Politics Goes Missing In Pakistan
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Last Updated:February 22, 2026, 20:02 IST
Lahore police registered a kidnapping case against “unidentified suspects” following a complaint by Yousuf Rashid, a friend of the missing scholar, Hamza Ahmad Khan.
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A Canadian national who came to Pakistan this month to conduct doctoral research on anti-imperialist politics has gone missing in Lahore, police said on Sunday.
Lahore police registered a kidnapping case against “unidentified suspects" following a complaint by Yousuf Rashid, a friend of the missing scholar, Hamza Ahmad Khan.
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Rashid told police that Khan arrived in Pakistan on February 13 to work on his PhD thesis and was staying with him in the Defence Housing Authority area.
“Khan left the house on the night of Feb 19 after booking a ride to go somewhere and did not return. Unidentified men might have kidnapped him," Rashid said.
Lahore Deputy Inspector General Faisal Kamran confirmed that the police are investigating the case from all angles. “We are also probing whether the missing scholar’s research work has something to do with his kidnapping," he added.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed serious concern over the incident.
“HRCP is gravely concerned by reports that @Hamzakk Ahmed Khan, a student of political science at the University of Toronto, has gone missing. Mr Khan was visiting Pakistan for field research and colleagues in Lahore have alleged that he was abducted by unidentified persons on 19 February. The authorities must trace Mr Khan’s whereabouts immediately and ensure that he is recovered and returns home safely," the HRCP said in a social media post on X.
HRCP is gravely concerned by reports that @Hamzakk Ahmed Khan, a student of political science at the University of Toronto, has gone missing. Mr Khan was visiting Pakistan for field research and colleagues in Lahore have alleged that he was abducted by unidentified persons on 19…— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) February 21, 2026
Political activist Ammar Ali Jan, who recently met Khan in Lahore, said the scholar’s research on anti-imperialist politics may have made him a target. “Yesterday, Hamza was abducted in Lahore as this regime is waging a relentless attack on dissent," Jan said.
The Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Ayin-e-Pakistan, an ally of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), highlighted the importance of academic freedom.
“Silencing researchers through harassment or forced absence undermines intellectual freedom. It will weaken institutions, and that Hamza Khan deserves fairness, safety, and the opportunity to continue his academic work without fear," the party said in a post on X.
(With inputs from PTI)
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