Senior journalist and anchorperson Aftab Iqbal has safely returned home after being reported “missing” for over 20 hours in Dubai, UAE.
A tweet from Iqbal’s official X account confirmed his safe return, stating, “We went through a tough time, but Alhamdulillah, Aftab Iqbal has safely returned home. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us.”
Iqbal, who was traveling from London to Dubai with his wife, went missing shortly after reaching the immigration counter at Dubai airport. His wife searched for him at the airport and contacted authorities, but no clear information was provided regarding his whereabouts.
The news of Iqbal’s disappearance was confirmed by his brother, Junaid Iqbal, who posted on Twitter that Aftab had been detained upon his arrival in Dubai from Manchester, with no explanation given. “We have not heard from him since,” the post read, urging authorities to intervene for his safe exit.
Sources suggest that Iqbal was detained at the airport due to his “pro-PTI stance” and political commentary. Although there were attempts to deport him, he was eventually released as he had not violated any laws in the UAE.
Aftab Iqbal, who has lived in Dubai since last year on a UAE golden visa, had previously been arrested and released in connection with the May 9 attack on the Lahore Corps Commander’s House.
Iqbal has worked with several leading news channels, including Geo, Express News, Dunya News, and Samaa.
