PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) social media activist Sanam Javaid has allegedly been arrested in Peshawar. The news of her being whisked away by two unidentified cars hit social media circles on Monday, sparking outrage among party members and human rights advocates.
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Early media reports say that according to eyewitnesses, and statements from PTI leadership, Sanam Javaid’s vehicle was intercepted on a busy highway by two unidentified cars. She was reportedly dragged out of her vehicle and forcibly taken away in front of fellow passengers.
Former federal minister and PTI leader Sheikh Waqas Akram took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share the news. He claimed that the activist was forced into another vehicle “against her will.”
صنم جاوید کو پشاور سے اٹھا لیا گیا. کچھ دیر پہلے پشاور کی ایک مصروف شاہراہ سے دو گاڑیوں نے ان کی گاڑی کا راستہ روکا اور زبردستی کھینچ کر گاڑی سے نکالا اور ان کے ہم سوار دوستوں کے سامنے زبردستی اپنی گاڑیوں میں ڈال کے لے گئے
— Sheikh Waqas Akram (@SheikhWaqqas) October 6, 2025
No official statement has yet been issued by local authorities regarding the incident, and it remains unclear whether a formal arrest has been registered or what charges, if any, are being brought against Sanam Javaid.
PTI has demanded her immediate release and called for greater transparency and accountability regarding the circumstances of her disappearance.
FALAK JAVAID STILL BEHIND BARS
Merely weeks ago, Sanam Javaid’s sister Falak Javaid had also been arrested. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) reportedly arrested Falak Javaid in a case pertaining to the uploading of ‘fake videos’ of Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari on social media.
Also read: NCCIA arrests PTI activist Falak Javaid, confirms lawyer
According to her lawyer, Advocate Mian Ali Ashfaq, Falak was picked from a flat in Islamabad.
In August 2024, the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing had registered a case against six suspects, including Falak Javaid, over the fake video case. After FIA’s inaction, Azma Bukhari approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking action against those involved in sharing fake pictures and videos of her on social media.