ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's army has denied involvement in the brief abduction of a Pakistani-British activist known for criticising the military, in an incident that prompted a wave of condemnation and increased fears of a crackdown on free speech.
Unknown men in Lahore June 5 detained Gul Bukhari, 52, one day after the military held a news conference warning that it was monitoring critics of Pakistan. She was released early June 6.
The news of her abduction caused a furore, with widespread calls for her release and fingers broadly pointed at the military.
"[The] army is not behind the abduction of Gul Bukhari," Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor, a spokesman for the army, told reporters June 8. "We actually want a thorough investigation in this case."
