Hyderabad: Zahack Tanvir, an activist originally from Hyderabad who was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia for a year following a complaint by Pakistan, has been released. In a ‘X’ post on Feb 3, Tanvir confirmed his release and wrote in detail about what happened to him. He also thanked the Indian Embassy in Riyadh and ministry of external affairs (MEA) for their ‘unprecedented support’ to him. As per reports, he was arrested in Dec 2023 and released in Dec 2024.
“Indian diplomacy triumphed in my case,” he wrote. Tanvir, who describes himself as a Middle East-based Indian Muslim and founder of a digital newspaper in the UK on ‘X’, on Wednesday posted a photograph of himself in Colorado, US.
Tanvir said that on Oct 9, 2023, he received an email from ‘X’ that Pakistan’s telecom authority had filed a legal complaint against him demanding that his account be shut down. “The premium intelligence agency from India’s adversary nation accused me of publicly exposing their fragile political system,” he said, without providing any further details about the case against him.
He said when X refused, citing their commitment to freedom of expression, Pakistan escalated the matter to Saudi authorities. He said that Saudi authorities did not act immediately. They later summoned him and informed that they had received a complaint and were obligated to respond due to their treaty with Pakistan.
He said during his one year in jail, he was treated with respect. He said his family hired a top law firm led by a former Supreme Court judge, and the Indian embassy stood firmly by his side.
“Indian diplomacy triumphed in my case,” he wrote. Tanvir, who describes himself as a Middle East-based Indian Muslim and founder of a digital newspaper in the UK on ‘X’, on Wednesday posted a photograph of himself in Colorado, US.
Tanvir said that on Oct 9, 2023, he received an email from ‘X’ that Pakistan’s telecom authority had filed a legal complaint against him demanding that his account be shut down. “The premium intelligence agency from India’s adversary nation accused me of publicly exposing their fragile political system,” he said, without providing any further details about the case against him.
He said when X refused, citing their commitment to freedom of expression, Pakistan escalated the matter to Saudi authorities. He said that Saudi authorities did not act immediately. They later summoned him and informed that they had received a complaint and were obligated to respond due to their treaty with Pakistan.
He said during his one year in jail, he was treated with respect. He said his family hired a top law firm led by a former Supreme Court judge, and the Indian embassy stood firmly by his side.
