Imran Riaz leaves Pakistan for London after ‘torturous ordeal’

LONDON: Former anchor and YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan has reached London after leaving Pakistan, his family has confirmedRiaz also confirmed the same through a post on his X account and said his long journey was treacherous, dangerous and full of ordeals.He went ‘missing’ for months last year before being recovered in September 2023. The YouTuber has moved abroad despite claiming that come what may, he would not leave the country.Riaz thanked Qasim Suri, the former national assembly deputy speaker, for convincing him to leave Pakistan “for the sake of Pakistan”. He also shared a picture of himself in a mountain area with an injury on his face.Riaz’s relative said: “He is a patriotic Pakistani who has left the country for Pakistan. It had become impossible for him to live normally. He was facing serious dangers to his life. He is lucky that he is alive and out. He will return to Pakistan as soon as the situation is right.In a social media interview, Riaz said he had undergone a great ordeal to safely exit from Pakistan where he has several cases registered against him.Riaz said he was the second person who had fled Pakistan from a ground route and not through air travel. He did not disclose how and which route he took.He said he was aware that the administration was looking for him, so he had to continuously upload his vlogs and stay active on social media so as not to alert the administration.Riaz said he had to travel for several weeks by foot in hilly and barren areas to ensure his safe exit. According to him he was also attacked by wild animals and suffered serious injuries.”I was accompanied by just one brave man who escorted me. I was in touch with Qasim Suri who remained awake for at least four nights. I am thankful for his guidance and his support to me throughout this time. He had also left the country through land route.”He said he met his family after a long time. “All my family members left the country over the last year. They were dislocated. I told my children that I am not happy to [be] out of Pakistan. I will return to Pakistan soon when the situation is right.”Suri replied that he was glad he and his tribe were able to help Riaz to reach the safe location.Imran Riaz leaves Pakistan for London after torturous ordealEarlier, former Junoon band member Salman Ahmed had claimed that he had secured a US visa for Riaz but people close to the YouTuber denied it.Riaz’s name has frequently appeared on the Exit Control List (ECL), which restricted him from leaving the country. He was also detained at the airport last July while attempting to travel for Hajj. He had complained that he was being persecuted due to his beliefs.Riaz garnered a lot of social media followers in the last few years, mainly pro-PTI supporters, but he has also been accused of running unverified news through his social media handles at times.He dealt with this question in his last interview from London: “I am a human and we all sometimes end up giving out fake news. However, I have deleted any such news when pointed out.”It is pertinent to mention here that recently, the FIA ​​Cybercrime Circle nabs politically affiliated eight individuals, possessing content from Shehbaz Gill and Riaz discovered on their mobile phones, for sharing manipulated images of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.According to an independent fake-check group, in 2023, Riaz shared an outdated and misleading image about a fire at the Quetta Customs Intelligence office, falsely claiming that all records were destroyed. The fack-check group said that the fire occurred months earlier, and reports from the time confirmed that while some records were damaged, not all were lost.